Hand Dryer Case Study (Primary School) - Chaddesden Park Primary School, Derby

The Project

Chaddesden Park Primary School in Derby, re-opened in June following a 2-year building programme and refurbishment, for their 1960s buildings. The new two-storey building was constructed to the latest building standards, accommodating 402 pupils from the ages of 3-11.

The teaching staff and school management team were, however, acutely aware of the operational hurdles posed by the outdated 1960s buildings. Consequently, they were motivated to ensure that the products selected for the new build met criteria for reliability, practicality, safety, and energy efficiency. This extended to the washrooms, which were outdated in numerous ways.

Joyce Gallagher, Chaddesden Park Primary School Business Manager explains: "The washrooms in our previous school buildings utilised paper towels for the children to dry their hands. This created daily problems for us."

Therefore, the use of paper towels in the school was problematic and needed addressing urgently.

Solution

The school opted to install the latest generation of low energy hand dryers to avoid the issues it had experienced with paper towels.

These hand dryers the school selected included the Biodrier Biobot - a child-friendly hand dryer, designed specifically for small children - and the Biodrier Eco - an extremely energy efficient hand dryer.

Joyce comments on the thought process behind selecting this dryers: "The Biobot and Ecodriers were primarily chosen because of the potential for savings on paper towels, plumber call-outs and cleaner routines, but they also gave us the opportunity to help educate children about the importance of environmental savings given the reduction in wastage and application of low energy technology. This was particularly so with the Biobots which feature a colourful educational back-board which helps encourage the children to use the wash their hands to use the dryers."

The Results

The upgrade from paper towels to energy-efficient hand dryers transformed the school's washrooms completely.

Joyce continues: "The new school may only be a few months into its life but the results so far are fantastic. Compared to our old school buildings, the washrooms are tidier, safer, more attractive to visit and cost us far less to operate and maintain. The energy savings will become apparent as they are monitored over time, but we expect the dryers to make an important contribution to helping us minimise our carbon footprint longer term and reduce our energy consumption.”