	The Magazine	Subscribe to Home Energy

Home Energy Magazine Online July/August 2000

trends

in energy

Vertical Axis Washer Beats the Odds

The Ecosmart washing machine uses just 300 kWh annually.

Figure 1. As the EnergyGuide label shows, this new washing machine uses far less energy than any other vertical axis machine.

One sometimes hears statements like "All the easy conservation measures have been done. From now on, further measures will save only a few percent or will be prohibitively expensive." And then something like the following occurs: a New Zealand company starts marketing a vertical-axis clothes washer whose energy use is less than one-quarter of that required by the federal standards (see Figure 1). According to the U.S. Department of Energy test, Fisher & Paykel's Ecosmart washing machine uses only about 300 kWh/per year, compared to the least efficient unit's 1,100 kWh/per year. The washer is a conventional vertical-axis machine, but it incorporates an unconventional flat motor design, a computer, and an array of sensors to help it choose the optimal wash cycle. The final spin cycle rotates the clothes at 1,000 rpm, extracting as much water as possible for greater energy savings in the clothes dryer.

At $700, the Fisher & Paykel ranks among the more expensive washing machines. However, in homes with electric water heaters or electric clothes dryers, it can quickly pay for itself. It could also be especially attractive to consumers who line dry their laundry, because it gets the wash drier before hanging.

Fisher & Paykel's lopsided marketing advantage won't stand for long, because the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that, starting this month, the EnergyGuide labels for horizontal- and vertical-axis washing machines will be combined. Several horizontal-axis machines are just as efficient. For consumers who just can't get comfortable with horizontal-axis machines, however, this new product ensures an energy-efficient option.

Fisher & Paykel also recently began marketing an innovative dishwasher that uses the flat motor developed for the clothes washer. The dishwasher consists of two independent drawers, allowing users to start loading dirty dishes in one drawer before they have finished removing clean dishes from the other. In principle, this design should also encourage more efficient operation, because it's easier to wash only when the unit is full.

--Alan Meier

Alan Meier is executive editor of Home Energy.

Home Energy can be reached at: contact@homeenergy.org
Home Energy magazine -- Please read our Copyright Notice