Laundry. It’s not the most favorite chore in the house. At least not in my house. It takes a lot of energy out of me, as well as… the house! During the summer months, I do far less laundry to save money on our utility bills. With our central air conditioning going, the extra money is saved is always a huge utility bill savings. However, if there were ENERGY STAR® appliances in the house, I’d be able to do it all without breaking the budget. Right?!
ENERGY STAR® washers and dryers help with utility bill savings
Doing wash with an ENERGY STAR® washing machine
A washing machine that’s 25% more efficient and use approximately 45% less water means money savings. If you’re lucky enough to have one, you’re going to save:
- 1,100 kWh+ more than 2.5 million BTUs of natural gas
- 33,000 gallons of water
- $490 over the lifetime of the washing machine
Don’t be upset if you’re stuck on a top-loader, or a front-loader machine. ENERGY STAR® has BOTH. Top-load machines wash clothing without wasting water to fill up the tub. What happens instead? It has a wash system that cycles the clothing through a mix of water and laundry detergent, so excess water isn’t necessary.
Both types of machines have no agitators. Front-loaders tumble clothes through a bit of water, while the top-loaders lift and tumble clothing. Less water, less energy. Awesome. Also awesome? Without an agitator, clothing doesn’t get as beat up. Many machines these days, without an agitator, make it possible to wash silk, and hand-washables. Kind of awesome.
Finally, the high speed spin after the laundry has been washed. The drum spins two to three times faster, which means the clothes come out less wet, and won’t need to be in the dryer as long as a machine with lower efficient motors working the spin cycle.
Drying clothing with an ENERGY STAR® dryer
As established already, ENERGY STAR® dryers require about 20% less energy to dry clothing. Why? They’ve low heat settings, and steam cycles. If you’re not aware, when drying clothing on a lower heat setting for a longer cycle, ENERGY STAR® dryers use less energy. Always choose the cycle that uses the least energy, normally called the “energy-saving” selection.
Steam cycles save you from ironing, because it prevents wrinkles.
Money saved. Time saved. Energy saved. Environment is that much better off. All of it sounds phenomenal, right?! Definitely head over to Best Buy’s blog to learn more about ENERGY STAR® appliances. Or, if you prefer, watch a video to learn more about ENERGY STAR®!
*The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.