NEWINGTON, Conn. -- The company that helped create the coin-operated laundry business has created a new system that helps businesses and the environment.

When approached by Greenwald Industries to try out the company's system of using heat produced by the dryers to heat the water used in the washing machine, the owner of Spin Cycle Café and Laundromat in Newington said he was interested from a business and an environmental perspective.

"The numbers, once they presented … and what it would do, it made sense," said Spin Cycle owner Jesus Ortiz. "It wouldn't make any sense not to do it."

While the concept is simple, Glenn Samela, of Greenwald Industries, said the execution is tricky because the dryers deliver a lot more heat than the water heaters need.

"The temperatures coming off the dryers are in the neighborhood of 300-degrees-plus, and the temperatures required in the hot water are about 120 degrees, so therein lie some of the difficulties in the design of the product, " he said.

The system was designed and built by Greenwald in Chester and is getting its test run at Spin Cycle.

Samela said the big question is how long it will take the system to pay for itself.

"We've run the numbers internally and they look promising," he said. "We're looking for a payback on the investment somewhere south of three years, and if we can do that, that's our target. That would be a home run."

As for the environmental angle, customers said they appreciate the effort.

"That's great, exactly what we need," West Hartford resident Nina Arnold said.

When asked if he feels like he's on the edge of an environmental movement, Ortiz said, "Yes, I do, and I'm very fortunate to have been given the opportunity."