In today’s economy, facility managers are looking for every way they can to cut costs, from HVAC usage to restroom operations. That’s right…restrooms! Between bathroom maintenance, cleaning, supplies, and energy usage, there are more than a few ways to reduce costs.
Reducing Restroom Operating Costs
1) Water Usage: Water use represents a major expense for facilities. Luckily, there are several simple, cost-effective ways to curtail water usage without sacrificing customer service. These include:
- Electronic Faucets: These fixtures have been proven to reduce water usage by as much as 80% compared to manual faucets. Electronic faucets provide several other benefits as well, including: improved sanitation, reduced wear and tear, and improved cleanliness. And while these units are more expensive than manual faucets, facility managers can expect to recover this additional cost in one to three years.
- Automatic Flush Valves: These valves reduce water use by as much as 70% compared to manual flush valves. Automatic flush valves also improve hygiene and reduce maintenance needs. And just like electronic faucets, automatic flush valves cost more than their manual counterparts. Still, facility managers can expect to recoup these additional costs in about two years.
- High Efficiency Toilets: A standard toilet uses 1.6 gallons of water per flush. High efficiency toilets, meanwhile, use just 1.28 gallons per flush.
- Waterless Urinals: I think this one is fairly self-explanatory.
2) Bathroom Lighting: The average bathroom lighting system uses 2 watts per square foot, making bathroom lights some of the biggest energy hogs in a facility. Fortunately, there are several energy-efficient alternatives to traditional bathroom lighting systems.
- Automatic Lighting Controls: Manual light switches are rarely ever turned off. Because of this, bathroom lights are left on, draining energy and running up energy bills. Occupancy sensors have been known to reduce energy use by as much as 90% compared to manual switches.
- High-Efficiency Fixtures: T8 and T5 lamps offer the same light output as traditional T12 fluorescent lamps, but with a 30% reduction in energy use.
3) Maintenance Costs: Over the lifespan of a restroom, maintenance can attribute a lot to your overall operating costs. In order to reduce the cost of maintenance of most restrooms, it is recommended that you try the following:
- Efficient Design: When it comes to restrooms, the best way to reduce maintenance costs is to design a more efficient restroom. This can be done in several ways, including: using multiple floor drains to reduce cleaning time, stacking restrooms in a multifloor building to allow for the use of a common supply and waste line, using the right finishes can really help reduce wear and maintenance time, and more.
- Dedicated Storage Space: Too often, facilities use a single storage space for the entire building. This is inefficient and requires cleaning and maintenance personnel to haul supplies all over. Having a separate storage space for each restroom helps reduce maintenance and cleaning time.
4) Cleaning Costs: Often overlook by facility managers, even the smallest change in restroom design can have a huge effect on cleaning costs. Some ideas include:
- Light Colored Countertops: This will reduce noticeable water stains that people would easily see on dark countertops, which will also result far less cleaning.
- Flat Finishes: Polished fixtures show every little smug, requiring frequent cleaning. Flat finishes on fixtures will require far less cleaning.
5) Supply Costs: When it comes to restrooms, supplies like paper towels, toilet paper, soap, and the like, represent a huge chunk of most restrooms’ operating costs. To help lessen these costs, facility managers can try the following:
- Large Roll Dispensers: Folded towel dispensers are inefficient and often result in wasted paper towels. Large roll dispensers, particularly those that automatically dispense paper towels, on the other hand, are extremely cost effective and hygienic.
- Large Capacity Toilet Paper Dispensers: These will help reduce labor costs, requiring less frequent restocking.
Hopefully you can implement a few of the above suggestions and start seeing the savings add up!
If you have any questions about How to Reduce Restroom Operating Costs, please contact Crockett Facilities Services at 301.262.2771 or click here today!
Crockett Facilities Services, Inc. (CFSI), headquartered in Bowie, Maryland, provides value-added building operation and maintenance services to federal, state and commercial clients throughout seven states, including Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Florida and Georgia. Established in 2000, CFSI is a woman-owned, MDOT MBE contractor.