The Blow-By-Blow

Excel Works With WELL

Excel Dryer is now part of the Works with WELL Network, and our electrostatic HEPA (eHEPA) hand dryers are featured on the Works With WELL Directory. We’re proud to be in the company of product manufacturers who put human health and well-being at the forefront of their work.

What Does “Works With Well” Mean?

The Works with Well Network is a community of leading organizations that support the WELL journey through health-focused products and services. 

The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI) is on a mission to transform health and well-being with a people-first approach to healthy buildings, organizations and communities. Over the course of a decade, the IWBI developed its WELL Building Standard (WELL) based on the latest scientific research into the impact of a human-centric approach to design, architecture and manufacturing. From green building and office renovations to the manufacture of sustainable products, the WELL Building Standard is a library of over 500 evidence-based design, policy and operational strategies that improve people’s health and well-being. 

To be WELL-certified means you share goals including:

  • Making the air better to breathe;
  • Ensuring the water is safe to drink;
  • Mitigating burnout;
  • Boosting sleep and cognitive well-being;
  • Fostering a culture of health;
  • Selecting healthier materials;
  • Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion;
  • Encouraging daily movement; and 
  • Addressing the diverse needs of hybrid, remote and in-person workforces.

Excel Dryers with Electrostatic HEPA (eHEPA) Filtration

It should come as no surprise that Excel Dryers with eHEPA filtration have made it onto the Works with Well Directory. Committed to continuous improvement and leading through innovation, we are always in search of technologies that will improve safety, efficiency and hygiene in hand drying. 

WELL certification operates on a points-based system, with points being awarded to a project based on the point values of its various features. Points are determined by examining a feature’s ability to address a specific health and well-being concern. Excel Dryers with eHEPA filtration can earn a project WELL points thanks to their effective filtration technology and Health Product Declaration (HPD), a standardized document reporting a product’s contents and related health data.

Like our traditional HEPA filtration, eHEPA removes 99.999% of viruses and 99.97% of potentially present bacteria at 0.3 microns from the airstream, proving its efficacy to HEPA standards. What sets eHEPA apart is the technology behind its filter media (the material out of which the filter is made).  Our eHEPA filters contain electrostatically charged polypropylene microfiber, which actively attracts particles, including viruses and bacteria, as they move through the dryer. And they do so while maintaining low-pressure drop, requiring less energy to push air through the filter media than other methods, maximizing hand-dryer efficiency and achieving greater airflow without sacrificing hygienic efficacy.

Maximizing purification while increasing energy efficiency is a perfect example of the kind of innovative problem-solving WELL encourages and Excel embraces. When we take a true human-centric approach to manufacturing and design, placing well-being at the forefront, we are positioned to innovate and problem-solve creatively. We have found over decades of experience that this approach always produces superior results. 

Excel and the WELL Approach

We share WELL’s goals of working toward healthier, greener, more aesthetically comfortable spaces that encourage employee well-being. Studies show that employees in buildings with better air quality realize an 8% increase in performance. Also, 82% of employees agree it is important that their organization sees them as a person—not just an employee. When employees know their health and well-being are prioritized by their organization, they flourish. When they are working in healthy buildings, productivity goes up and turnover down.

We recently transformed the Excel offices into a state-of-the-art, human-centric workplace of the future. Approaching a 5,000-square-foot expansion of our space, we began with well-being in mind. From concepting and design to material selection, we placed health, well-being and safety at the top of our priority list, drawing great inspiration from WELL from the get-go. 

We considered everything from natural light and recycled materials to indoor air quality, noise control and aesthetic beauty. The result is a stunning, energy-efficient, sustainable and comfortable work environment that showcases the many benefits of placing human beings first. 

Go Green with Hand Dryers

Of course, when taking a holistic approach to health and well-being, sustainable products are inevitably going to enter the conversation. We design our hand dryers to provide ecologically responsible solutions for our customers, and the data shows they do exactly that. According to the results of a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment, Excel Dryer products exhibit 79%–97% fewer environmental impacts when compared to a paper towel baseline with 0% recycled content. And versus 100% recycled content paper towels? Excel Dryers demonstrated 82%—96% fewer environmental impacts. 

Additionally, we are the first hand dryer manufacturer to publish independently verified Health Product Declarations (HPDs), and also the first to publish third-party, verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). 

Clean Restroom, Happy Employees

According to a recent global survey focusing on commercial restrooms post pandemic, the majority (58%) of US consumers find that a dirty restroom makes them think much less of an establishment. But what makes a restroom appear “dirty?” Primarily paper towels on the floor, according to 92% of facility managers surveyed. That’s not to mention overflowing waste baskets and toilets clogged with paper towels improperly discarded.

What’s true for restaurant customers is likely true across the board. Restroom cleanliness has a real impact on mood and morale, and a human-centric approach leads us to look for cleaner, tidier solutions. Excel Hand Dryers eliminate paper towel waste and cut way down on the need for constant maintenance. The result? Happier, more productive employees. 

If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing WELL

The alignment we feel with the mission of IWBI and the WELL Standard goes to the core of our values as an organization. For years, we have carried the banner of health, hygiene and energy efficiency in hand drying solutions, and we are proud to be recognized by WELL with inclusion in their Works with WELL directory.