Clothes Washers and Energy-Efficiency

Energy costs

According to Energy Star, clothes washers can cost you about $1,500 to operate over its average 12 years lifetime. That’s a lot of money, largely above the initial cost of the washing machine… But you can save around half of that value (or even more, depending on the energy prices in your area) if you choose the right qualified model.

When buying a clothes washer, cheap models can be a bad option. Do not equate only the initial cost. Pay attention to the operable costs, mainly energy costs linked to the heating of the water used by the machine.

The size and type of clothes washers

The right size for a clothes washer depends mainly on your specific needs. Basically the choice is between compact and several standard machine models, with different capacities. 

See: Size and type of clothes washers

Features of the clothes washers

When choosing a clothes washer machine consider features as the spin speeds, sensors able to automatically adjust the water level or the working cycle of the machine, or the Modified Energy Factor (MEF) and the Water Factor (WF).

See, for details: Features of clothes washers

Qualified washing machines

A qualified washing machine allows hundreds of dollars in energy savings during its lifetime (comparatively to non-qualified ones). Namely, pay attention to the energy label of the different washer models.

See: Rating and performance of clothes washers


Prices and manufacturers

Most qualified clothes washer models - GE, Maytag, Kenmore, Whirlpool... - are in the range $500-$1000. A cheaper model can be a very bad option, due to higher running costs.

See: Clothes Washers Prices and Manufacturers

All clothes dryers work basically the same way. The huge difference is in their energy source: gas or electricity. And in most countries and states, at today's prices you can save up to 50% in laundry energy costs if your option is a gas dryer...

See, for details on how to choose a clothes dryer: Clothes dryers