Q&A. Green Appliance Comparison Shopping
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.10.06
Q. “Hello - My wife and I are looking to replace our conventional washer and dryer with something energy efficient and eco friendly, however after several hours online we havent found any good references for comparing offerings. Could you or your readers perhaps suggest something for us? It seems no dryers at all have an energy rating - why is that ? p.s. we read you all the time and keep up the great work!” Rob and Cat A.”
A. Fortunately guys it is not as tricky as it first appears. I knew that we have just the service down here in Australia (and New Zealand) that you seem to be seeking. It’s been going for about 20 years as the Energy Rating Label. (Look here to see how they rate dryers, for example.)
The government requires all suppliers of whitegoods (washing machines, dryers, fridges, freezers and so on) to have their appliances energy rated and a sticker applied to the goods in the store. Back in “the good old days” you could also pick up a free printed brochure comparing all similar products together. This chart is now available online. In more recent years they have also added beige goods (computers, printers and photocopiers, etc) and brown goods (home electronics such as TVs, audio products, and DVD players), so called because once upon a time all such things came in fake timber cabinets. These latter two have their own site under the Energy Star program. This is an international program, so I was pretty confident there was a similar deal in the US.
And there is. Also under the Energy Star banner. Here they rank many products, including washing machines. They suggest that “compared to a model manufactured before 1994, an Energy Star qualified clothes washer can save up to $110 [USD] per year on your utility bills.”
But unlike Australasian one there is no such comparison for dyers. Damn. The US EPA, who run that site, believe “most dryers use similar amounts of energy.” so don’t label them (see next para). But do offer some tips on how to limit their demand on the grid. These include air dying clothes, selecting a dryer with a moisture selector so it automatically turns off when contents are dry and choosing high spin cycle on your washer so clothes as close to dry as possible when they go in the thing.
The Australasian chart shows a spread of dryers using energy in the realm of 82 to 480 kWh per 52 uses. Admittedly this is for capacity variances of 2 litres to 9 litres of soggy laundry, but does indicate that not all dryers are created equal.
With your washing machine selection, a front loader is likely to use bucketloads less water and energy. And spin your clothes drier, so they spend less time in the dryer, with a resultant decrease in energy load. Also with a front loader you can mount the dryer directly above, saving space. The down side is generally a longer time for wash cycles. Some clever front loaders can do double service as dryers. If you can afford a European branded front loader, you may find they are more effective. The often smaller size of European dwellings has meant washers are commonly located in the kitchen and issues like noise, stability and durability become more obvious in a product under ones nose.
The Energy Star site in the US has downloadable charts which even show you the water usage for each machine - something we wish the Aussie one also covered, even if they do show the difference between a hot and cold water wash. Obviously cold washing uses heaps less energy, whether heated by your water system, or the washing machine itself.
(In Australia we have separate water usage classification for washing machines, which is alas only a voluntary program. It’s known as the National Water Conservation Rating and Labelling Scheme. In one of their brochures they suggest a front loader can save 135 litres (36 gallons) of water compared to an old top loader machine. That's per wash, not per year!)
Well, Rob and Cat, trust we have contributed something useful to your search for greener laundry. No doubt TH readers also have thoughts on what specific machines have worked best (or not so) for them.
For some very detailed and knowledgable discussion of laundry appliances, I recommend the Laundry Room forum at gardenweb.com: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/laundry/
I would also recommend looking at the new GE front load washer and dryer. They seem to be the best designed and lowest priced High-efficiency units to hit the market to date. They are discussed in great detail on the site above.
We bought an LG washer/dryer combo over 6 months ago and think it's great. It takes some getting used to because it dries differently than conventional dryers and things can be damp for a minute, but then finish drying. It can wash twice the amount it can dry making an old fashioned clothes pole almost necessary. We knocked 1/3 off our electric bill and it's supposed to use less water too (hard for us to tell). Another great feature is it takes up less space. They plug into a 110 (regular) outlet and require no venting since the dryer works by condensation. The LG models are more expensive than some others (Haier), but from what researched they are of better quality and preformance. Good Luck!
we got a Bosch washer and dryer set about 6 months ago and we love them. they use less water and the spin cycle is so powerful, the drying time is reduced.
Lots of tradeoffs. Really big horizontal axis washers are able to handle blankets, comforters, and pillows or throw rugs. This can save you bundles of cash on cleaning bills. You will need a large drier capacity to handle these.. Keep in mind the tradeoff: large capacity washer/driers use more water and need bigger heating elements. Conversely, if you have only a few people in your family and only do a few loads per week, you may elect a smaller capacity washer/drier pair. In either case, the water used to counterbalance the HA washers can get a bit musty unless used regularly. Some folks have complained about a mold like plaque making their cloths smelly and building up flecks that stain light items. I found that by occasionally using a peroxide-based (color safe) bleaching agent on white goods, the problem is eliminated.
I work for EPA and wrote a fact sheet on this subject, but it's still in draft form so it's not available online. Here's the important info:
There are two types of machines: vertical axis (the inefficient kind you probably have at home) and horizontal axis (usually the front loading kind you see in a laundromat).
In a typical vertical axis machine, you load clothes and suberge them in ~40 gallons of soapy water, then the machine moves the water and clothes together to get them clean. In a horizontal axis machine, you load clothes and the machine moves them through about 18-25 gallons of soapy water (in a household size machine).
The advantages of a horizontal machine are: lower water use, especially hot water, which uses lots of energy to heat up; lower soap use; more clothes per load, and faster spin cycles which means the clothes are more dry when you put them in the drier. This last one also means your clothes don't wear out as fast.
Disadvantages of horizontal axis machines are: Slightly longer operating times (but this is offset by shorter drying times); higher upfront cost (offset by rebates in many communities and by lower energy/water/soap bills); and most horizontal axis machines use a front loading door, which many people dislike because they have to stoop to load clothes.
There is at least one company which makes a top-loading horizontal axis machine that I highly recommend (Not an official EPA endorsement!!!): www.staber.com. Staber machines can be DC powered off of solar panels, etc, without voiding the warranty and can use as little as 12 gallons of water per load. They also make a dryer.
As for driers, Warren is correct--we don't rate driers because they're all energy hogs. Better to get a horizontal axis machine that drives more water out in the faster spin cycle than to evaporate the water out with heat. As Warren says, get a model with a moisture sensor that will shut off when the clothes are dry, or air dry.
Useful links:
http://www.katherinesalant.com/articles/article.php?nav=6,3,6&id=31&pid=40 (fairly thorough overview of different types of machines, with an explanation of different bells and whistles on the high end machines)
http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm?fileName=060406a.xml (has the comparison chart you want, but the article is from 1997. Still a good reference, though).
http://www.altenergystore.com/manuals/01seha-progsum.pdf (A list of municipal rebates across the country from 2001. Hopefully it's still somewhat accurate).
Best-
Jason
If you want an efficient dryer, concentrate on the ductwork installation, then maintain it. Here are some guidelines:
1. Use 4-inch minimum rigid wall duct. Don't use metal flex duct, and never use foil or plastic duct. Rigid duct allows air to flow efficiently, requiring much less energy to exhaust moisture.
2. Make all connections with metal tape, not screws. Screws become a catchpoint for lint, which reduces duct efficiency and is a fire hazard.
3. Use the fewest number of 90-degree elbows possible. If you can get away with a 45-degree elbow instead of a 90, use that instead. Four 90-degree elbows are similar in airflow resistance to 43 feet of duct! If possible, locate your dryer against an outside wall, and vent straight out the wall for maximum efficiency and the shortest drying time.
4. Always vent to the outside of the home. Never vent into any wall, ceiling, garage, crawl space, gas vent or any other common duct or chimney.
5. Use a swing-out dryer damper that has a 4-inch opening at the bottom, make sure that it's at least 12 inches above the ground, and make sure it points down. Avoid using louvered dampers, since they catch lint, and dampers with only a 2-1/2 inch opening at the bottom, since they restrict airflow. Don't use a damper with a magnetic latch or put screen over the exhaust outlet.
6. Clean the ducts twice a year with a duct brush to remove lint buildup that causes inefficiency and creates a fire hazard.
A great site on this is at http://coinop.com/tech/exhaust.asp