Do Hand Dryers Use More Energy

When fitting out bathrooms in offices, schools or restaurants, energy use should be a key consideration both in terms of cost and also environmental sustainability.

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Can You Reduce Energy Use from Hand Dryers

Modern hand dryers are designed to be as efficient as possible, using a variety of different innovations to ensure that they work effectively while using as little energy as possible.  More efficient hand dryers will cost you less to run, and are also better for the environment.

How Much Energy do Hand Dryers Use

There are two main types of hand dryer.  Those which use slow moving warm air to evaporate the water from the surface of the user’s skin, and those which use a fast-moving jet of air to displace the water.  These different designs of dryer work in different ways, and use different amounts of energy, so if you are keen to reduce your electricity usage, it is important to explore which is more efficient.

Evaporative Hand Dryer Energy Use

A traditional hand dryer design uses a heating element and a fan to blow warm air over your hands when drying.  Electricity is used to power the heater and the fan motor, and typically it will take around 30 seconds for the drying process to be completed.

The power rating of hand dryers can vary depending on the motor and the temperature of the air being blown, but typically, a traditional hand dryer will use about 3.5p of electricity each time it is used. Over the course of a full year, if the dryer is used 250 times per day – as might be the case in a restaurant, office or school, the total cost of electricity to run the dryer will be approximately £80 and equate to approximately 265Kg of carbon emissions.

Jet Hand Dryer Energy Use

Jet hand dryers work differently. Air is directed through a narrow nozzle at high speed and blows moisture off the surface of the skin.  As a result of this design, they can work more quickly than a traditional design – in fact, a Mitsubishi Electric Wave i01 hand dryer can completely dry the user’s hands in less than 10 seconds.  This is less than a third of the time a conventional design would take.

The flow of air in a jet hand dryer also contributes to its efficiency. With much less turbulence present, less energy is wasted as noise, and as heating is optional, the overall energy use can be minimised.

At the same usage levels as above, the Mitsubishi Electric Wave u02 design will cost approximately £24 to run and be responsible for just 82Kg of carbon emissions.

Are Paper Towels Energy Efficient

Although paper towels do not require electricity to work, considerable energy is used in their manufacture.  Over the course of a year, paper towels can cost significantly more than the electricity cost for a modern hand dryer – £730 annually at the same usage levels as above, and be responsible for more than 1,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions!

Find Out More

To find out more about the Mitsubishi Electric Wave range of energy efficient hand dryers and find out how they could reduce your electricity costs, please contact us to arrange a demo.

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Wave u02

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