EAST LONGMEADOW, MASS.—For almost a quarter of a century, Excel Hand Dryer Inc. has been producing XLERATOR Hand Dryers—a game changer in the hand drying space that dries hands completely in 10 seconds while using 80 percent less energy than conventional hand dryers. Excel Hand Dryer Executive Vice President and COO William Gagnon said there are now approximately one million XLERATOR Hand Dryers in use around the globe.
“We just put 1,000 XLERATOR Hand Dryers in the largest airport in the world in Turkey,” Gagnon says.
XLERATOR Hand Dryers can help facility managers save thousands of dollars annually by eliminating the need for paper towel dispensers. Compared with paper towels, XLERATOR Hand Dryers offer a 95 percent cost savings on average while reducing the need for labor and maintenance, eliminating paper waste while improving restroom hygiene.
Weeding Through Misinformation
There was a time not long ago when the facts behind the hygiene upside to using hand dryers compared to paper towels was muddied. “There has been a lot of misinformation put out by the paper towel industry to mislead and create doubt,” Gagnon says.
In August 2020, researchers at the University of Arizona concluded that there is “no data to support any human health claims relative to hand dryers versus paper towel use.” (Click here to access study.) Proving there is no data to support one hand drying method over another from a health and safety perspective was critical for Excel Hand Dryer. “We chose to back up our claims with science and third-party testing,” Gagnon says.
For those who think that using paper towels made from recycled paper is a favorable option when compared to hand dryers, Gagnon explained: “People think 100 percent recycled paper towels are the best. They are used once and go straight to the landfill. It is a single-use product.”
How the Hand Dryers Work
XLERATOR Hand Dryers first blow off water droplets at high speed and then evaporate any remaining moisture in eight to 10 seconds using air and heat. “Previous dryers focused on evaporation in 30 to 45 seconds,” Gagnon says, adding that for good hygiene the most important thing is to get hands completely dry. He says wet hands are 1,000 times more susceptible to delivering germs.
The XLERATOR Hand Dryer is Excel Hand Dryer’s original high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryer. It offers an up to 88 percent reduction in carbon footprint versus paper towels. The XLERATOReco Hand Dryer uses No Heat technology to dry hands in 10 seconds while using only 500 watts of energy. It offers an up to 94 percent reduction in carbon footprint versus paper towels.
Excel Dryer also offers a ThinAir Hand Dryer with a slimmer profile that offers an up to 88 percent reduction in carbon footprint versus paper towels. The sink mounted XLERATORsync Hand Dryer is part of an integrated D|13 Sink System that offers drying and washing right at the sink. Gagnon says integrated sink systems are gaining popularity. “You are seeing them pop up more and more,” he says.
The D|13 Sink System’s features include HEPA filtration, adjustable speed and heat, LED illumination and a Sound Suppression Air Delivery System. In addition to the sleek design and intuitive user experience, what really sets the D|13 Sink System apart is the XLERATORsync Hand Dryer. Designed in collaboration with Excel Hand Dryer and a world-renowned design firm, the dryer’s “reverse airflow” design blows air/water flow away from the user, promoting hygiene and enhancing user experience.
Optional Electrostatic HEPA Filtration
The XLERATOR Hand Dryer, XLERATOReco Hand Dryer, and ThinAir Hand Dryer all come with Excel Dryer’s Electrostatic HEPA Filtration System as an option. With the XLERATORsync Hand Dryer, HEPA filtration is a standard feature. The filtration system removes 99.99 percent viruses and 99.97 percent of bacteria from the air stream.
Gagnon says electrostatic HEPA filtration had not been used in hand dryers before but there has been increasing concern about indoor environmental quality. “It is a way to enhance our product and filter viruses and bacteria out of the air,” he says.
On its website, Excel Hand Dryer features a calculator that shows annual savings, return on investment (ROI), and annual climate change benefits by using its hand dryers instead of paper towels. For example, replacing 100 paper towels with an Excel Hand Dryer will result in annual savings of $3,652, an ROI of 11 months, and reduction in 1,930 kg CO2 Eq.
Gagnon told the story of one Starbucks store in Florida that budgeted $600,000 a year for clogged toilets. That line item disappeared and more than paid for the hand dryers that replaced the paper towels.
As much as Gagnon touts the upsides to using hand dryers instead of paper towels, he says a hybrid approach with both paper towels and hand dryers can work. “We support it. You may need paper towels for something besides washing your hands,” he says.
While the Covid-19 pandemic was a springboard for the hand drying industry, the proliferation of new hand dryer systems has also impacted the industry’s growth.
“The new category of hand dryers we created brought more companies into the space,” Gagnon says. “It helped the whole industry.”
All Made in the U.S.A.
East Longmeadow, Mass.-based Excel Hand Dryer continues to innovate. For example, its dryers are now 100 percent made in the U.S.A. The motor for the hand dryer, once made in China, is now made in the U.S.A.
Excel Dryer Hand Dryers can be wrapped with any custom design. Gagnon says the GEICO lizard has even graced the cover of a hand dryer.
As much as Excel Hand Dryer is concerned about reducing the climate impact of its many customers, so too is it concerned about its own environmental impact. The company’s first expansion in 2009 was LEED Gold certified, and its most recent expansion was WELL certified. Solar panels atop the company’s headquarters power all manufacturing for the 55-employee company.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
