New Appliance Standards Will Save $31 Billion

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released new energy efficiency standards this spring that will reduce energy and water consumption in clothes washers some 35% and dishwashers will use 14% less energy and 23% less water.

New efficient clothes washers and dishwashers use better design and components such as motors and pumps to save on energy and water. Compared to current models, new clothes washers will save $400-$600 in energy bills over their life, and about $100 for dishwashers.

Other savings: Clothes washer water use accounts for about 20% of household indoor water use. The new standards are expected to save the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of about 700,000 U.S. homes; the natural gas needed to heat a half-million U.S. homes; the daily water consumed by three million Americans; and the annual carbon emissions of 1.3 million typical cars by 2025, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and The Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

Taking into account increased upfront costs, DOE estimates more than $31 billion in total savings over 30 years.

The new dishwasher standards take effect next year and the new clothes washer standards take effect in 2015.

DOE designed the standards based on consensus recommendations developed by manufacturers, consumer groups, energy and water efficiency advocates, and environmental organizations.

Source: Alliance to Save Energy