We compare business gas and electricity from 20 plus suppliers for ironing and collect-and-deliver laundry services. Typical bills run £3.3k to £26k 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 ironing or wash service 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.
Service wash, ironing and collect-and-deliver laundry businesses, including shop-front service laundries, ironing rooms and van-based operators working from a small unit. Machines are usually domestic or semi-commercial, loads are mixed and the energy used per kilogram is often higher than a large laundry achieves. Small premises, modest turnover and a heavy meter, and this is the group most likely to be sitting on deemed or out-of-contract rates without realising.
The dryers run almost continuously and there is no economy of scale to soften it, because the loads are mixed and often part-full.
Ironing stations and steam generators draw hard all day and get left switched on through quiet periods and breaks.
Energy per kilogram is typically higher than a large laundry achieves, so a small shop can carry a bill that looks wildly out of proportion to its floor area.
Businesses this size are the most likely to be on deemed or out-of-contract rates, which are the most expensive rates a supplier offers.
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 |
Batch similar items so dryers run full. A half-empty dryer uses nearly the same energy as a full one and you cannot charge for the difference.
Switch steam generators and irons off at breaks and at the end of each pressing session rather than leaving them live all day.
Use a heated drying room or airing space for items that do not need tumbling. It is far cheaper per kilogram than the dryer.
Check whether your unit is on a deemed or out-of-contract rate. If your last contract lapsed and nobody signed a new one, you almost certainly are.
Ask for a quote based on your actual consumption rather than a small business default. A service laundry uses far more than the retail unit next door and should be priced accordingly.
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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