Baseline & sub-metering blueprint for industrial laundries & dry cleaning

When margin per kilo feels tight and tenders demand proof, guesswork hurts.

Energy can sit near one-tenth of overheads in a typical plant, while frameworks (NHS, hotel groups, local authorities) increasingly favour bidders who evidence carbon and water performance. That pressure lands on FDs, Ops Directors and GMs who need simple, comparable KPIs they can trust.

What “good” looks like

A strong baseline translates utility use into outputs you already live by kWh/kg and L/kg. That means metering that follows the product flow, daily readings at minimum, and sub-metering where it adds clarity. This is widely used in the sector: track energy in kWh/kg (both heat and electricity) and water in litres/kg and build targets against those metrics.

Build your metering plan (five steps)

1) Map the process and name the loads

Sketch your plant from goods-in to dispatch. Mark washers (CTWs and extractors), presses, tumble dryers, ironers/calendars, tunnel finishers, air compressors, boiler/steam plant, hot-water generation, water in/out and the effluent sample point. Give each line a unique ID so meters, shifts and maintenance tickets all reference the same thing. Sector guidance highlights boilers/steam, compressed air, water/effluent and the case for metering and sub-metering, start there. For effluent, remember water companies require defined sample points and drainage plans for consent. Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR), a pressure system must not be operated unless a Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) is in place, and examinations are carried out to that scheme.

2) Decide where to meter first (the 80/20 view)

• Electricity
  Sub-meter each wash line (CTW modules or extractor banks), tumble dryers, ironers and the compressor room. Add a panel meter for the finishing area if individual feeds are hard to reach. Compressed-air flow metering helps expose leaks and idle losses.
• Heat
  Fit a gas meter on the boiler feed and, where possible, steam flow (and return temperature) to production. That lets you separate thermal from electrical kWh/kg.
• Water
  Meter mains feed, any reclaim/RO loop, and cold/hot make-up to washers or CTW stages to reveal true L/kg by line. Track effluent volume to link with bills.
• Mass
  Weigh at soiled in and clean out (scales or reliable batch weights) so the normalisation is rock-solid.

3) Set data rules that stick

Collect at 15-minute granularity, time-aligned with production. Tie meters to shift rosters so you can compare A vs B shift on the same line. Flag rewash as its own stream, it masks real gains if you don’t. Add simple validation: zero-load checks when the plant is down and a weekly glance at meter sums vs mains. Daily reads and trend reviews remain a baseline discipline.

4) Calculate the right KPIs

• kWh/kg by family: wash, dry, finish, services (steam, compressed air).
• L/kg by wash line or CTW zone.
• Standby & start-up kWh to expose avoidable idling.
  Push these into a simple variance view: site-to-site, shift-to-shift, line-to-line.

5) Close the loop where it pays

If one dryer line shows higher kWh/kg, check load size, moisture retention from press, exhaust recirculation and over-drying. Drying is often one of the biggest energy loads, so variance here is usually worth chasing. High‑duty dryers are strong candidates for exhaust recirculation or heat recovery; scope savings before capex.

A “minimum viable” sub-meter set

If budget or downtime is tight, start with:

• Electricity: each wash line, each dryer bank, ironers as a group, compressors.
• Heat: boiler gas feed (plus steam main if feasible).
• Water: mains in, reclaim loop, feed to washers/CTW.
• Effluent: volume and a compliant sample point.
  That bundle gives you credible kWh/kg and L/kg by process line and a view of losses in services.

Why it also helps with compliance and tenders

Industrial laundries fall under the UK Climate Change Agreements scheme through an industry umbrella, another reason to measure and manage energy performance with proper baselines. Trade effluent charges are calculated using the Mogden Formula, so metering volume and understanding strength at the point of discharge helps control that line on the P&L. Buyers, especially in healthcare, expect clear evidence of energy and water management in bids, so a line-level baseline becomes part of your proof pack, not an afterthought.

Ready to turn this plan into action?

This type of onsite metering and performance survey is often priced around £1,000. If your combined electricity, gas and water spend is over£60,000 a year, we can offer it complimentary, subject to eligibility.

We’ll visit your site to shape a practical metering plan that reports kWh/kg and L/kg by process line and by shift. That means you can compare sites on like-for-like numbers and see where variance comes from.

Book your free onsite survey and we’ll confirm eligibility and arrange a visit that fits your production schedule.