Utility load

Definition

What water, gas, and power cost per wash, the largest line between vend price and profit.

Why It Matters

Old machines use several times the water of current ones, so two stores with identical revenue can differ by a third at the bottom line and the difference is invisible until you read the bills. Get twelve months of water, sewer, and gas invoices rather than a summary, divide by turns, and ask when the machines were last replaced, because a re-equipment is the capital decision this trade is really about.