Programmable washers and dryers provide additional income for apartment communities.
Stackable washers and dryers were a welcome, energy efficient addition to more than 60 percent of the units at StuartCo’s Plaza Apartments in St. Paul, Minn. The popular combination unit takes up the same amount of space as a single, traditional washer, with the convenience of never leaving your apartment.
However, the in-unit machines could only handle washing small loads of laundry. If residents wanted to clean blankets, comforters and towels, they were out of luck.
In response to this need, Plaza Apartments renovated an old laundry facility on the property and installed two extra-large capacity stainless steel washers and dryers. The machines are controlled by a microprocessor that enables the managers to curb gas usage with cycle modifier options, maximizing their revenue by setting higher prices for hot water usage. If residents choose to use hot water, the gas to heat the water is paid for by the user, not the community.
The programmability options also allow Plaza Apartments to set higher prices for longer wash and dry cycles, offsetting the extra energy costs the community would otherwise incur. Prices range from $2 for a traditional wash to $2.50 for extra washing options. Dryers cost $1.50 on average, and enable residents to pay for longer cycles in 25-cent increments.
“We’re making more money using these four machines than we did when we had 12 machines in our old community laundry room,” says Robin Hall, Manager of Plaza Apartments. Although there is no way for Hall to tell what percentage of residents are opting for hot water or the more expensive cycle options, she says revenue has increased 3 percent.
Residents are capitalizing on the renovated laundry facility, too, which includes hardwood floors, granite folding counters, chairs and tables and a flat-screen TV. The project took approximately five weeks to complete and cost $3,700, but it has been a worthwhile investment, says Hall.
“Our residents love the new space,” she says. “It’s the rock star of laundry rooms.”
In addition to flat screen TVs and multiple cycle options, such state-of-the-art laundry facilities also include debit- and credit-card readers that make doing laundry similar to pumping gas. Now, residents can quickly swipe their credit card instead of emptying their pockets for quarters.
For many apartment communities, the upgrade is as much about safety as it is convenience.
“It can be very dangerous for site associates to leave the property and go to the bank, so by eliminating that need we are creating a safer environment for them,” says Steve Sadler, Vice President of Strategic Business Services for Atlanta-based Post Apartment Homes, L.P. “We also reduce incidents of vandalism by not having machines filled with money, which can be a powerful incentive for those intent on doing something they shouldn’t.”
Lauren Boston is NAA’s Staff Writer. She can be reached at lauren@naahq.org
or 703/797-0678.
FYI
Thank you to Maytag Commercial Laundry, Mac-Gray Corp., Coinmach Corp. and Speed Queen for contributing to this article.
For a list of National Suppliers Council members who provide appliances and laundry services, please see page 80.