TAKING YOURSELF TO THE CLEANER'S

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Energy Tips

Advice on cleaning your clothes ... for less

One of the most expensive things you do in your home is heat water. The average American house hold can easily eat up well over $300 per year just turning cold water into hot. The washing machine is a prime culprit. Each load requires 30 to 40 gallons of hot water. Yet, unlike dishwashers, washing machines can use cooler-temperature water with perfectly adequate results for most clothes. And if you are in the market for a new machine, there are a variety of options you can look for in your quest to save fuel...and money.

Wash and Rinse Cycle Options

Choose a washing machine that offers plenty of choices for energy-conserving wash and rinse cycles. The table at right shows the average energy use for washing machines with both electric and gas-fired water heating (water temperature set at 140°F and 120°F). The dramatic differences in energy use with these different wash/rinse cycles are obvious. Warm wash cycles generally clean clothes perfectly well, and, with proper detergents and pre-soaking, coldwater washing may be fine. Note: With more oily stains, hot water may be required for satisfactory cleaning. You should experiment with the different cycle options and find one that meets your needs. (Cold-water rinses are no less effective than hot or warm rinses.)

Options to vary the cycle length have a very small effect on energy consumption, but some washing machines feature a "sudssaver" option that stores the wash water from one load of lightly soiled clothes to use for the next load. A pre-soak cycle may allow you to get the same cleaning performance using a warmwater wash as you are used to getting with hot water—while using less total energy.

Water-Level Controls

Choose a machine that also lets you select lower water levels when you are doing smaller loads. For a given temperature cycle, energy use is almost directly proportional to hot-water use. The lowest setting may use just half as much water as the highest. In general, you'll save energy by running one large load instead of two medium loads. (Some models feature advanced electronic controls to automatically adjust the water level according to the size of the load.)

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