If you are planning to buy a large-capacity, energy-efficient clothes washer and want to make the best choice for your Baie-Comeau home, then you should follow our advice.
First, always look for qualified “Energy Star” clothes washers. On average, qualified clothes washers use 40 percent less energy than the standard washers, and up to 55 percent less water. These features will save your household about $50 a year. Energy Star-qualified clothes washers must have a minimum Modified Energy Factor (MEF) of 1.72. The MEF is a measurement of water heating energy.
When shopping for a new clothes washer, you should certainly consider the following factors:
Resource-Efficiency
You know that the Energy Star label identifies clothes washers that require less water, electricity, and drying energy. But clothes washers vary considerably in energy and water consumption. Within Energy Star products, you want to select a washer with the highest MEF you can find within your budget.
Water Level Controls
The average conventional clothes washer uses about 40 gallons of water for a complete wash cycle. Energy-efficient models may use less than 25 gallons per cycle, and small-sized models may use 10 or less.
Many of the higher-efficiency washers feature electronic controls that will adjust the water level automatically according to the size of the load. If the models you are considering do not have these controls, try to choose a machine that lets you select lower water levels when you are doing smaller loads. In general, you’ll save energy by running one large load instead of two smaller loads.
Wash and Rinse Cycle Options
Choose a washer that offers energy-conserving wash and rinse cycles. The temperatures of the wash and rinse cycles will have a dramatic impact on overall energy use — a hot water wash with warm rinse costs 5 to 10 times more than a cold wash and rinse.
Faster Spin Speed
Faster spin speeds can result in better water extraction and will reduce the heat energy required for drying. Mechanical water extraction by spinning is much more efficient than thermal extraction.