Laurence Bohan
Content Writer
Laurence Bohan
Content Writer

Laurence is a copywriter and trained journalist. His passion is creating insightful and educational content for dental professionals of every level. Outside of work, he enjoys watching sport, quizzing and spending time with his family.

What’s the problem?

With a million and one things to worry about over the past couple of years, dentists and practice managers would be forgiven if energy saving had slipped down the agenda. But with chairs quickly filling up again, energy prices soaring and the UK looking as though it's over the worst of covid, now is the time to prioritise energy savings. Here is a look at some equipment-based ideas to reduce your practice’s energy consumption and help contribute to the industry’s larger sustainability goals.

UK energy prices are set to double in April in what is anticipated to be the largest hike in the energy price cap history. This has been caused by gas prices quadrupling over the last 7 months. In addition to the energy crisis, the dangers of climate change and the NHS’ highly ambitious aims to reduce emissions by 80% over the next 6-10 years means there is now a real responsibility for every practice to improve its green credentials. Energy currently accounts for roughly 14 to 21% of the dental industry’s greenhouse emissions, second only to travel on the dental carbon footprint.

What’s the solution?

Switching to energy-efficient equipment. When purchasing dental equipment, it’s important to keep in mind how much energy it will take to run and look for those products that are the most energy efficient. It is also worth considering the product’s lifespan and how it will be disposed off once it’s no longer useable. Here are some suggestions to help you bring down and keep down energy costs for years to come:

Autoclaves

Autoclaves are notoriously one of the most energy intensive pieces of equipment in the practice and consume similar amounts as an air conditioning unit at between £182 and £242 a year. Practitioners need to ensure they purchase the appropriate model for the purpose intended; too small a product will result in additional machine cycles and too big a machine will result in low capacity machine utilisation.

To help minimise energy consumption, ensure you purchase the appropriate model for the purpose intended; too small a product will result in additional machine cycles and too big a machine will result in low-capacity machine utilisation.

Our recommendation:

W&H Lisa Autoclave. Uses Eco Dry+ technology to adapt the drying time to the mass of the load. This reduces the cycle time, increases the life span of your instruments and optimizes the energy consumption.

Digital X-Rays

Switching over to digital x-ray technology can certainly help to reduce your practice’s carbon footprint. Digital x-rays use up to 80% less radiation than normal x-rays, eliminate wastage (covers and lead packets) and do not require the use of processing chemicals that are potentially dangerous to the environment.

Our recommendation:

PSPIX2 Imaging Plate Scanner. The PSPIX2 is a compact scanner that is three times smaller than other imaging plate scanners. It has removable parts that can be autoclaved to prolong the product’s life.
 

Curing Lights

LED curing lights are a prime example of how the energy use of dental equipment can be reduced with a shift in technology. Though LED lights now consume very little energy, their sheer frequency of use means that they can quickly breakdown if not maintained properly. This can lead to the regular need for charging or replacing of lightbulbs.

Our recommendation:

Demi Plus LED Curing Light.Periodic level shifting technology (PLS) can deliver a 5-second cure for shades A3 and lighter without generating excess heat. Outstanding battery life can provide 300 x 10 second cures from a single charge.

What else can be done?

Outside of dental equipment, energy efficient technologies should be adopted in other areas, such as the lighting and computers. A practice with eight 60-watt light bulbs that are turned on for 10 hours a day costs approximately £150 (507kg CO2e) per year, according to the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. Switching to fluorescent lighting has the potential to reduce energy expenditure and carbon emissions by one quarter. Savings will be even greater if LED bulbs are used.

A desktop computer consumes between £25 and £62 of energy per year if used 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. These figures rise significantly if the computer is left on overnight. Switching to smaller laptops and making sure they are turned off overnight can be a great way of reducing energy consumption

8 more green dentistry ideas with long-term benefits

  • Switch to paperless online statements (click here to find out how)
  • Stock all natural oral care products, i.e., bamboo toothbrushes and floss
  • Stock recycled disposables where possible, i.e., toilet roll and hand towels
  • Purchase restorative materials in quantities more likely to be used up before expiring
  • Plan the office layout to maximize natural light and ventilation
  • Install a smart meter
  • Switch to water-saving toilets
  • Choose less harmful surface disinfectants to clean and sterilize 

Huge savings can be made on a range of eco-friendly products when you shop online at Kent Express. Click on the button below to shop our full green range.

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