Efficiency Opportunities in Multifamily Common Area Laundry Facilities
Rebecca Schaf, Ruchi Shah
Laundry facilities are an area where four utilities meet - electric, gas, water, and wastewater. This unique nexus makes laundry facilities a particularly interesting intervention point for energy and water efficiency. While the residential clothes washer market has evolved over the years, multifamily affordable buildings are an untapped conservation opportunity as they often lease commercial washers for placement in common area laundry rooms.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) are collaborating in support of the Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) initiative to study the existing multifamily laundry landscape and provide facts related to common-area laundry facilities in twelve states that are the focus areas for the EEFA initiative: California, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. The study also includes recommendations to utilities on how to incentivize water savings.
