CLEANING APPLIANCES

This RMI briefing provides strategies for reducing energy and water consumption in home cleaning appliances. It highlights that heating water is the primary energy driver for washers and dishwashers and recommends high-efficiency models, such as front-loading washers and Heat Pump Clothes Dryers. The document also suggests behavioral changes, such as using cold water and full loads, and discusses the environmental impact of dry cleaning chemicals and detergents.

• Clothes washers typically cost an average household approximately $72 per year in electricity and consume an average of 870 kilowatt-hours annually. High-efficiency models available in 2003 were two to four times more efficient than those meeting Energy Star guidelines.
• Heating water accounts for 85–90 percent of the energy required for washing clothes. Horizontal-axis (H-axis) or front-loading washers are more efficient than traditional vertical-axis (V-axis) machines, using 30–60 percent less water and 50–70 percent less energy.
• Energy and cost savings for laundry can be achieved by adjusting temperature settings and water heater thermostats. Changing settings from hot to warm can save half the energy used for heating water, and reducing the water heater thermostat to 120°F can cut clothes washing costs by 20 percent.
• Electric clothes dryers typically consume about 970 kilowatt-hours and cost approximately $80 per year. Heat Pump Clothes Dryers (HPCD) are ventless and can be up to two times as efficient as conventional dryers by reusing heat from the exit air stream.
• Dishwasher energy use has decreased over time; while units eight years prior typically used 700–850 kilowatt-hours annually, some current models use between 204–282 kilowatt-hours per year. Approximately 80 percent of a dishwasher's energy is used to heat water.
• Using unheated-air drying in a dishwasher instead of heated-air drying can save 12 percent of the energy consumed by the appliance.
• The dry cleaning industry uses per-chloroethylene (“perc”), which has health and environmental concerns. Alternatives include wetcleaning, a water-based system, and research into the use of liquid carbon dioxide.

APA

Goorskey, S., Smith, A., & Wang, K. (2004). CLEANING APPLIANCES. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_HEB6CleaningApps.pdf

Chicago

Goorskey, Sarah, Andy Smith, and Katherine Wang. CLEANING APPLIANCES. RMI, 2004. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_HEB6CleaningApps.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goorskey |first1=Sarah |last2=Smith |first2=Andy |last3=Wang |first3=Katherine |title=CLEANING APPLIANCES |publisher=RMI |date=3 December 2004 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_HEB6CleaningApps.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goorskey2004cleaning, author = {Goorskey, Sarah and Smith, Andy and Wang, Katherine}, title = {{CLEANING APPLIANCES}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2004}, month = dec, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_HEB6CleaningApps.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }