Should I compare utility cost to vended laundry revenue?

Yes for internal KPIs. Divide total utility dollars by gross revenue for a monthly ratio—useful because CLA cites utilities near 20–25% of revenue nationally. Revenue swings from marketing or competition affect the ratio even when kWh per day is stable.

How do I compare two stores with different machine counts?

Normalize per machine or per dryer load where you have counter data. Also compare blended $/kWh and $/therm—identical equipment mixes are rare, so unit economics plus effective rates beat raw totals.

What spreadsheet columns are minimum viable?

Month, billing days, kWh, billed kW, electric total, therms, gas total, supply subtotals if shown, notes field for anomalies. Derived columns: kWh/day, $/kWh, therms/day, $/therm, demand $/kW.

Compare Monthly Laundromat Utility Bills

Comparing Monthly Laundromat Utility Bills the Right Way

Last reviewed 2026-09-12 by Jaken Energy editorial desk. Next review scheduled 2027-03-12.

Direct answer

Compare laundromat utility bills using same-month year-over-year data, normalize partial months with per-day kWh and therms, and track blended $/kWh, $/therm, and demand $/kW—not headline totals alone. Split supply from delivery before attributing changes to procurement or usage. CLA due diligence expects one to three years of this history for transactions.

Cited: [1] Coin Laundry Association · [2] Coin Laundry Association · [3] U.S. Energy Information Administration · [4] International Mechanical Code

Keep these

Key takeaways

Raw dollar totals mislead when billing period length changes.
Same calendar month YoY controls for seasonal HVAC and water temp.
Track electric and gas on separate trend lines.
Log billed kW alongside kWh for demand-heavy months.
Split supply and delivery effective rates when evaluating REP changes.
Build a spreadsheet template once; reuse monthly.

Why naive comparison fails

Utilities bill 28-to-35-day cycles that drift across calendar months. A laundromat open 16.6 mean hours per day per CLA accumulates different kWh when February has 28 days versus 31-day March even at identical daily load. Comparing March total to February total without normalization overstates improvement or decline.

Dual-fuel stores need parallel electric and gas tracks—gas dryer therms and electric water heat kWh move independently.

Normalization metrics to log monthly
Metric	Formula	Purpose
kWh per day	kWh ÷ billing days	Usage trend
Therms per day	Therms ÷ billing days	Gas usage trend
Blended $/kWh	Total electric ÷ kWh	All-in electric price
Blended $/therm	Total gas ÷ therms	All-in gas price
Demand $/kW	Demand charges ÷ billed kW	Peak cost tracking
Utility % of revenue	Utility $ ÷ gross revenue	Margin context

Year-over-year versus month-over-month

Month-over-month suits rider detection when seasons are similar. Year-over-year same month controls summer cooling and winter makeup air loads tied to IMC 504.7 exhaust over 200 CFM.

For acquisitions, CLA guidance of one to three years enables trailing-twelve-month utility cost as percent of revenue—nationally often roughly 20–25% with local variation.

Separating procurement from consumption trends

When supply $/kWh drops but kWh rises, total electric may still increase—plot supply-only and delivery-only effective rates separately after REP switches per EIA choice mechanics.

When therms per day fall after dryer tuning but $/therm rises, commodity market moved—consumption improved while procurement environment worsened.

Monthly comparison checklist

Complete within five business days of bill receipt.

Enter billing start/end dates and day count.
Record kWh, kW, therms, and all subtotals.
Calculate per-day and effective rates.
Compare to prior month and same month last year.
Annotate known events: remodel, heat wave, contract renewal.
Flag estimated reads for follow-up.
Share summary with partners if 34% multi-store CLA cohort applies.

Q & A

Should I compare utility cost to vended laundry revenue?: Yes for internal KPIs. Divide total utility dollars by gross revenue for a monthly ratio—useful because CLA cites utilities near 20–25% of revenue nationally. Revenue swings from marketing or competition affect the ratio even when kWh per day is stable.
How do I compare two stores with different machine counts?: Normalize per machine or per dryer load where you have counter data. Also compare blended $/kWh and $/therm—identical equipment mixes are rare, so unit economics plus effective rates beat raw totals.
What spreadsheet columns are minimum viable?: Month, billing days, kWh, billed kW, electric total, therms, gas total, supply subtotals if shown, notes field for anomalies. Derived columns: kWh/day, $/kWh, therms/day, $/therm, demand $/kW.

Sources

CLA Due Diligence Resources — Coin Laundry Association
Supports: 1–3 years bills; ~20–25% revenue
CLA Member Survey 2024 — Coin Laundry Association (2024)
Supports: 16.6 mean hours; multi-store ownership
EIA Retail Choice FAQ — U.S. Energy Information Administration
Supports: Supply/delivery split for comparisons
IMC 504.7 Makeup Air — International Mechanical Code
Supports: Seasonal HVAC/exhaust context

Row of commercial dryer drum openings with a warm heat glow.

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