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Abstract
Easter, E. P. 2007. Impact
of energy savings on clothes care – the interaction of new developments
in appliances, additives and textiles. JEMREST
3:167-175
DOI: 10.4029/2007jemrest3no125
A washer and dryer are
considered necessities in most households.
Approximately 75 percent of all washers sold in the US market are conventional top
loading washers. These washers meet
the consumers’ needs of cleaning clothes but consume a substantial
quantity of water and energy. Most
require about 40 gallons of water for each load, which may seem
insignificant, but the fact is that approximately 35 billion loads of laundry
are washed annually in the US. Approximately 50 percent of all energy
consumed during the laundry process comes from heating the water. The obvious opportunity for reducing the
utilization of energy is to reduce the quantity of water and to wash in cold
water. Another 40 percent of the total
energy consumed during the laundry process is used to heat the air during
drying. A second opportunity for
improving energy efficiency in the clothes washer is to improve the
efficiency of drying. As of January
2007, all washing machines sold in the US must comply with a revised
Modified Energy Factor of 1.26. The
Department of Energy has also created an Energy Star Label, which qualifies
clothes washers that meet even higher MEF numbers. The label communicates to
the consumer that the product provides significant energy savings. To achieve this goal, the program should
not compromise performance. The article will overview the changes in
technology for the appliance and detergent industries as well as presents the
findings of a research project that investigated the interaction of energy
efficient technologies with clothes care performance.
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