High-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers have become an industry standard today, thanks in large part to better technologies and improved performance. Modern dryers boast 10-15-second dry times and use up to 90 % less electricity than traditional models. Importantly, 10 seconds is also the average time that it takes a person to dry his/her hands with paper towels, so hand dryers today have closed the gap.
Efficient hand dryers offer considerable savings over paper towel dispenser and can pay back the initial investment within a few months.

Typical usage data (consumption and costs vary):

• Number of cases of paper towel used annually: 10 
• Cost per case delivered (incl. freight and tax): € 30
• Number of towels per case: 4 000 
• Total paper towel costs per year: € 300
• Handling cost (50 % of item cost - i.e. purchase orders, receiving, storing, servicing, collecting and disposing of used towels): € 170 
• Total cost of paper towels per year: € 470

Using the same information, consider the savings generated by high-efficiency hand dryers:

• Number of paper towels used annually: 40 000 
• Number of hand dryings annually (40 000 divided by 2.5 towels per dry): 16 000 
• Hours of hand dryer usage (based on number of dryings above): 67
• Cost of electricity per hour (1.5 KW x 0.20): € 0.30 
• Total annual hand dryer costs: € 20

The total operating costs for paper towels and hand dryers are very different. Paper towels can cost around 90 % more than high-efficiency hand dryers.