We compare business gas and electricity from 20 plus suppliers for commercial and industrial laundries. Typical bills run £21.7k to £245k a year and businesses that switch with us save 40 per cent on average, typically 30 to 50 per cent. The figures on this page are estimates from published UK benchmarks, not quotes.
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What a typical commercial laundry uses and pays across the UK, from published benchmarks.
Figures are estimates from published UK benchmarks priced at 25p/kWh electricity, 7p/kWh gas and about £365 a year in standing charges. They are not quotes. See how we estimate.
Independent commercial and industrial laundries processing bulk textiles for contract customers, from small batch-washer operations up to tunnel washer plants. UK industrial laundries process roughly 743,651 tonnes a year using about 1,254 GWh, a benchmark of around 1.7 kWh per kilogram of dry textile, and the Textile Services Association puts energy at around 10% of a laundry's total cost base. A mid-size site typically runs 100,000-300,000 kWh of electricity and 150,000-400,000 kWh of gas a year. High volume, own supply contract, high sensitivity to unit rates.
Energy is a production input here, not an overhead. Every extra tonne processed pulls proportionally more gas and electricity through the meter.
The industry benchmark sits around 1.6 to 1.7 kWh per kilogram of dry textile sold, and older plant can run well above that while leading operators push under 1.0.
Wash-water heating is the dominant demand and it is nearly all supplied as steam, so a poorly maintained boiler or unlagged distribution loses money continuously.
Half-hourly supplies carry capacity and availability charges as well as unit rates, and agreed capacity is often set years ago for plant that has since changed.
Typical equipment loads across launderettes, dry cleaners and laundries, with annual kWh and cost bands from published benchmarks.
| Equipment | kWh a year | Cost a year (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial washer-extractors (bank of 6-12) | 8,000–35,000 kWh | £2,000–£8,750 |
| Gas-heated tumble dryers | 25,000–120,000 kWh | £1,750–£8,400 |
| Electric tumble dryers | 12,000–55,000 kWh | £3,000–£13,750 |
| Steam boiler feeding presses and finishers | 20,000–90,000 kWh | £1,400–£6,300 |
| Dry cleaning machine and solvent chiller | 6,000–22,000 kWh | £1,500–£5,500 |
| Rotary ironer, hot water and extraction | 7,000–30,000 kWh | £1,750–£7,500 |
Track kWh per kilogram of dry textile as a monthly KPI. If you are above 1.7 there is headroom, and the number tells you whether a change actually worked.
Fit heat recovery on the wastewater and on dryer exhaust. Reclaiming heat from water you are already throwing away is the highest-return measure in most laundries.
Review your agreed supply capacity on the half-hourly bill. Paying for capacity you have not drawn in three years is a straight refundable cost.
Cut wash temperatures where chemistry allows. Moving an 85C process to a low-temperature 60-65C wash cuts the wash-water heat load, which is the dominant energy demand in most laundries.
Lock your renewal early and consider a flexible or basket purchase if your annual volume is large enough. At your consumption a penny on the unit rate is thousands of pounds a year.
Illustrative example
Around 14 washers and 10 gas dryers, open seven days
Gas dryers and hot water are the product itself, so energy is often a quarter of turnover.
Illustrative example, not a real customer. Figures are estimates based on published UK benchmarks. See how we estimate. See all worked examples.
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