Excel Dryer, Inc. Announces Results of Life Cycle Assessment f
- The high-speed hand dryer achieved major reduction in climate change impact
energy, impacts on ecosystems, and emissions that damage human health -
11.10.2009 – East Longmeadow, Mass. – Excel Dryer, Inc. announced today that it
has released the findings of a peer reviewed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for its
high-speed energy efficient hand dryer, XLERATOR. The LCA study, conducted by
Quantis, an international life cycle assessment research firm, determined that when
compared to traditional electric hand dryers and paper towels (virgin and 100%
recycled content), XLERATOR reduces the Climate Changing Score (Carbon
Footprint) of hand drying by 50%-75%. Each hand drying system was evaluated on
10 years of service, or drying 260,000 pairs of hands. The LCA measured the entire
environmental impact of XLERATOR from beginning to end-of-life.
The results of the study indicate that XLERATOR provides significant environmental
benefits when compared to the other hand drying options considered in the
assessment. The major advantage it provides, when compared to conventional
electric hand dryers, is the nearly four-fold reduction of electricity consumption during
the use of the dryer. When compared to paper towels, the combined environmental
impact of producing the paper towels and associated materials and handling far
exceeds the impact of using XLERATOR. Even “high-intensity” users of XLERATOR
(15 seconds of hand drying time per use) still remained at a lower level of
environmental impact than “low intensity” users of traditional hand dryers (20
seconds of hand drying time per use) or one-to-two paper towels per use.
The study was peer reviewed by an independent panel of Life Cycle Assessment
experts to ensure compliance with the standards contained in ISO 14040.
“The LCA study provides industry professionals, architects and others with a
scientific assessment of how various hand drying options impact the environment,”
said Wil