Are Hand Dryers More Expensive than Paper Towels

How much could you save? #savewithwave

Do hand dryers cost more than paper towels in the long term?

A key part of your decision making process when it comes to how you will manage hand dryers in your bathrooms is cost. With hand dryers, there is an initial cost for the device, and then ongoing maintenance and energy prices to consider, whereas with paper towels, the initial cost is lower, but over time, you will need to buy supplies regularly and pay for their disposal as part of your business’ waste.

What are the costs of a hand dryer?

The cost of a hand dryer can be split into the initial purchase price and then the ongoing cost of running the appliance in terms of electricity.

The Mitsubishi Electric Wave u02 has an RRP of £449+VAT. At normal energy prices, the dryer will cost slightly less than £0.01 each time it is used. Over the course of 3 years, and based on 100 uses per day, this would equate to a total cost of £554.

What are the costs of paper towels?

ith paper towels the up-front cost is lower. A wall mounted dispenser will usually cost less than £50, however the ongoing prices will make up the bulk of your spend.

The cost of paper towels varies depending on quality and the volume that you require. Typically, people will use more than 1 paper towel to dry their hands after washing, which means that the cost per use can be anywhere between £0.03 and £0.10.

In addition to the cost of purchasing the paper towels, you also have the cost of disposal. Paper towels are non-recyclable, so need to be disposed of as part of your general waste, and will incur landfill taxes.

Annually, a business using paper towels 100 times daily will incur costs of approximately £292, which over a three year period is £876

Comparing Paper Towel and Hand Dryer Costs

Over a three-year period, at relatively low usage levels, a business could save £322 by using energy efficient Mitsubishi Electric Wave hand dryers rather than disposable paper towels. Larger organisations with multiple bathrooms and higher usage levels will save considerably more over time.

Find Out More

If you are thinking of switching from paper towels or inefficient older hand dryers to reduce your energy use or costs, please contact us today to book a demo of the Mitsubishi Electric Wave range.

Wave i01
Wave u02