Renewable energy breathes new life into electric appliances

SPONSORED – Sustainability, renewable energy and aged care. You would think one of those is the odd one out, but as energy trends continue to shift, the aged care sector finds itself riding the wave of transformation.

Natural gas has long been viewed as the best alternative to electricity sourced from fossil fuels. It always costs less to run appliances on gas, too. Yet times are changing. 

Gas prices are rising while supply decreases with predicted long-term gas supply gaps on the way. This could drastically impact the use of gas appliances such as stovetops, dryers and water heaters, especially in a large-scale setting.

Some aged care providers have already been spurred into change and for many that begins in the laundry. Gas dryers have been incredibly popular due to their energy efficiency, with running costs being 20% less than electric dryers.

That’s changed, and now more efficient dryers are on the market, including heat pump dryers, which rely on a combination of external air and refrigerant to dry linen and clothing.

They can use up to about a third of the energy, which is great. But they also take about four times as long to run a cycle, which is not what you’re looking for in an aged care facility, according to Sean West, Laundry Solutions National Sales & Marketing Manager.

“A few manufacturers have developed commercial heat pump dryers, but that’s limited at the moment to 17kg capacities,” Mr West explained. “That’s not gonna do the job because it takes two hours instead of half an hour.”

“We’ve had some customers ask if we can get one of those heat pump dryers. Yes, you can, but you’ll need seven of them and you’ll need 40 hours in the day. They’re not compatible with an aged care facility’s commercial laundry.”

If you take an average 90-bed facility, there’s 52kg of dry laundry per cycle or 2.2 tonnes per day. With a handful of washers and dryers on the go, there’s no time to waste.

“In a commercial or industrial situation, we need these dryers to finish in 45 minutes because there’s another load coming out of the washing machine in 45 minutes,” Mr West said. 

“In an eight-hour window, they need to do that six times a day to get all the laundry done. That can’t happen with heat pump dryers, but it can happen with electric dryers.”

Understandably, concerns over electricity running costs are expected. Electricity prices have increased just like gas prices have. But there’s one added benefit for electricity that should now be a core feature of any aged care facility – solar power.

Aged care facilities typically have a large amount of roof space perfect for solar panels. Mr West said this has already enabled operators to make the switch from gas dryers to truly utilise the resources at their disposal.

“They’re biting the bullet and upgrading their electricity supply so they can actually accommodate commercial electric dryers,” he said.

“Those electric dryers are running during the day and are using the energy that’s been produced by solar panels. Providers are not selling that energy back to the grid for a very low price, they’re actually utilising it.”

The switch to electric appliances doesn’t have to occur right away. In fact, it is recommended that existing gas appliances are left to run their course to ensure maximum return on investment. 

That approach may not suit everyone, and Mr West acknowledged some providers have taken the initiative to swap out equipment before it gets old.

Regardless, with rising gas prices and renewable energy at its most accessible, there is a clear opportunity to take advantage of the resources available to invest in appliances that will cost next-to-nothing to run.