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Abstract
Elizabeth
P. Easter. 2007. Impact of energy savings on clothes care – the interaction
of new developments in appliances, additives and textiles. JEMREST
3:167-175.
DOI:
10.4029/2007jemrest3no118
A washer and dryer are
considered necessities in most households. Today 85 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. 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 presentation 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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