Energy Conservation: Why Cleaning Efficiency Matters More Than Ever

By Steve Ashkin

In our previous articles, we explored how sustainability is good business and why Cleaning for Health® is becoming the new standard for modern buildings. Now, we turn to the third pillar of a successful facility strategy: Energy Conservation.

For Building Service Contractors (BSCs) and facility managers, energy efficiency is far more than a "green" initiative. It is a practical business strategy that reduces operating costs, supports sustainability goals, and helps clients meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements.

At its core, sustainability is about achieving desired outcomes while using fewer resources. In cleaning, that means delivering healthier, cleaner facilities while minimizing wasted time, energy, labor, materials, and environmental impacts. Simply put, the most sustainable cleaning program is often the one that achieves the desired cleaning outcome using the fewest resources, the least amount of time, and the lowest overall environmental impact.

Looking Beyond the Utility Bill

When most people think about energy conservation, they picture solar panels, electric vehicles, or LED lighting. While these technologies play an important role, the cleaning industry has its own opportunity to reduce energy consumption through more efficient equipment and work practices.

In cleaning operations, energy conservation is not simply about reducing the electricity consumed by a vacuum cleaner or floor machine. It is about improving the efficiency of the entire cleaning process.

This distinction is important because labor typically represents 70% to 80% of a cleaning contractor's operating budget. The faster a building can be cleaned, the sooner lighting, HVAC systems, escalators, and other energy-intensive systems can be reduced or shut down. In many facilities, the greatest energy savings associated with cleaning operations come not from the equipment itself, but from reducing the operating hours of the building systems that support the cleaning process.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, organizations frequently achieve overall energy savings of 10% to 30% through energy-efficiency initiatives. While cleaning equipment represents only a small portion of a facility's total electrical load, improving cleaning efficiency contributes to broader efforts to reduce energy use, operating expenses, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Efficiency Is the New Sustainability

Productivity is often viewed strictly as a labor issue, but it is also an important sustainability metric.

Studies have shown that high-productivity cleaning technologies, including backpack vacuums and other ergonomic cleaning systems, can significantly improve cleaning productivity compared to more traditional approaches. By allowing workers to clean larger areas in less time, these technologies help organizations reduce labor costs while improving operational efficiency.

The benefits extend beyond labor savings. When cleaning operations are completed more quickly, building systems such as lighting, ventilation, and climate controls can often be reduced sooner. Every hour of avoided building operation represents an opportunity to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

For many years, sustainability discussions focused primarily on recycled content, waste reduction, and environmentally preferable products. While these remain important considerations, today's facility managers are increasingly focused on measurable outcomes such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, labor productivity, worker safety, and total cost of ownership.

Organizations that can accomplish more with fewer resources are often able to reduce both operating costs and environmental impacts simultaneously. Contractors that help clients improve efficiency, lower energy consumption, and support sustainability objectives increasingly position themselves as strategic partners rather than commodity service providers.

The Growing Role of Cordless Technology

Battery-powered equipment is rapidly becoming an important part of modern cleaning operations.

Cordless equipment eliminates the need to locate outlets, manage extension cords, and repeatedly stop work to reposition equipment. By allowing cleaning professionals to work more continuously, cordless equipment can improve productivity, reduce cleaning times, and lower overall operating costs.

Cordless technology also improves safety. Power cords remain a common cause of slips, trips, and falls in commercial environments. Eliminating cords removes a potential hazard for workers and building occupants while supporting a safer workplace.

Connecting Cleaning to Carbon Reduction

Many organizations now track and report energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, facility managers increasingly seek service providers that can support broader sustainability goals.

Every kilowatt-hour of electricity avoided helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By using energy-efficient equipment and improving cleaning productivity, contractors can contribute to lower carbon emissions while delivering the same or better cleaning results.

Although cleaning equipment may account for only a small percentage of a building's energy use, cleaning practices influence how efficiently a facility operates. Contractors who understand this relationship can provide value that extends well beyond traditional cleaning services.

Durability and Protecting Human Energy

Durability remains one of the most overlooked sustainability strategies. Manufacturing new equipment requires raw materials, energy, transportation, packaging, and disposal of old equipment. Equipment that lasts seven to ten years instead of only a few years reduces waste while lowering maintenance and replacement costs.

Sustainability also includes protecting the people performing the work. Modern ergonomic cleaning equipment is designed to reduce physical strain and improve worker comfort. Organizations that invest in worker health and safety often experience lower injury rates, reduced turnover, improved morale, and greater operational consistency.

Protecting human energy is every bit as important as conserving electrical energy.

Using Data to Demonstrate Value

Today's clients increasingly expect measurable results.

When contractors invest in efficient cleaning technologies, they gain access to performance metrics that demonstrate value, including productivity improvements, reduced maintenance costs, fewer safety risks, and lower energy consumption.

Increasingly, building owners and facility managers want service providers who can help them achieve broader goals related to sustainability, cost control, occupant well-being, and operational performance. The organizations that can demonstrate both financial and environmental benefits will be best positioned to win and retain business in the years ahead.

Conclusion

Energy conservation in the cleaning industry is about much more than reducing electricity consumption. It is about using time, labor, equipment, and resources more efficiently.

The most significant energy savings often come not from the equipment itself, but from reducing the amount of time a building's lighting, HVAC, and support systems must remain fully operational during cleaning activities.

The most sustainable cleaning program is often the one that achieves the desired cleaning outcome using the fewest resources, the least amount of time, and the lowest overall environmental impact.

Sustainable cleaning is not a single product or technology. It is a smarter way of working—and a smarter way of doing business.