Like the dishwasher, most of the energy used by a clothes washer comes from heating the water, typically over 90 percent. And like the dishwasher, if you reduce the water temperature and the amount of water used, you will save the most energy. Unlike the dishwasher, the clothes washer does not heat the water, so water heating strategies are where you will realize a large amount of savings.
If you are making a new purchase consider a front-loading washer as this design uses less water. Top-loading washer tubs must be filled for the clothes to be kept wet while an agitator tumbles the clothes. However, a front-loading washer needs less water and the tub rotates to tumble the clothes in the water, eliminating the agitator.
Washing Machine Efficiency
Before purchasing a new clothes washer, check the Energy Guide labels for the estimated annual energy use. Keep in mind smaller models tend to show less energy use, but they may not be large enough to meet your needs and if you need to run more loads to keep up, you could end up using more energy over time.
Look for a clothes washer that offers a wide number of wash, rinse, and spin options. These options allow you to tailor your wash to match the type of laundry, specifying water temperature, number of cycles, amount of dryness and more.
Check out EEA's rebate page for details on how to save even more money.
Energy Tips
With pre-soaking and cold- or warm- water detergents, most clothes will be cleaned sufficiently. Badly stained clothes may need pre-spotting as well as a hot water wash cycle to get them clean. If your settings permit, use cold-water rinses as they do the job adequately.
If your washer has a load size control, be sure to use it as the energy use varies directly with the amount of heated water used. Some later models do this automatically. The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates clothes washers use 35 to 40 gallons of water for a complete load.
Washing with full loads in the machine uses less energy per pound of laundry. Your washer's instruction book will indicate the machine's design capacity. Try weighing a few loads until you have the feel for what is a full load. Even with controls that sense the load size, more energy will be used per pound for undersized loads than with a full load.
