The U.S. Department of Energy announced new, more stringent criteria for clothes washers carrying the ENERGY STAR label.
For the first time, the standards include water savings requirements.
The Department of Energy projects the new criteria could result in savings of over $52.8 million annually for American families. The new washers will save over 185.7 million kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy per year, enough to light every household in Washington, D.C. for eight months; and approximately 8.9 billion gallons of water each year, equivalent to the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in four hours.
The standards go into effect on January 1, 2007. ENERGY STAR-qualified models will be 36% more efficient than the washers meeting the minimum requirements.
In 1997, less than one percent of clothes washers qualified for the ENERGY STAR label. Today, ENERGY STAR clothes washers account for over 30 percent of all units sold throughout the United States.
The new criteria affect the Modified Energy Factor, or MEF, a composite measure of washer efficiency. The higher the MEF, the more efficient the clothes washer. The current MEF will be increased from 1.42 to 1.72. The new criteria also sets the water factor at 8.0. Water factor describes the amount of water used, with a lower water factor indicating less water used per cycle and higher water efficiency.
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