It’s been 10 plus years since we bought a washer and dryer. At the time we were on a really, really tight budget. Moving expenses, a new house, an unsold house and an empty rental property with an evicted tenant left us with very little budget to work with after moving into our new home in Houston. But with two small children under the age of 2, a tweenager and two adults going to a laundry mat to do laundry was really not on the schedule. There was just TOO much laundry. So we bought what we could with what we had and have been using it ever since. Sure, I would love a new washer and dryer, and as much as I consider myself an “early adopter” I also don’t like to get rid of something which still works perfectly well. But what about when your washer and dryer don’t work so well anymore? Then it is time to start looking at what is available and what fits your family. Our dryer may now take two tries to get dry laundry. This wastes time and money, energy and water. We often find that the clothes are wet and have sat in the dryer and require another washing because no one noticed. It’s time to look at what washers and dryers are available and for me that also means finding ones which are ENERGY STAR® certified.
This ENERGY STAR at Best Buy post is sponsored.The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Did you know?
Clothes washers and dryers that have earned the ENERGY STAR deliver superior efficiency and performance by incorporating advanced features. Some of these features are my favorites like using less water and more efficient spin cycles. These types of clothes washers and dryers are 25% and 20% more efficient, respectively, than standard models. And, who doesn’t like to save money? Users of these types of washers and dryers save $490 over the lifetime of an ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer and even more with an ENERGY STAR washer/dryer pair.
BE A STAR! A Laundry Star!
While shopping this weekend, we found out that many of the ENERGY STAR certified washers and dryers we are researching have the features I love and desire. But they also have some features I didn’t think of that are not only energy efficient but helpful to our busy family. ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers are available in either front-load or redesigned top-load configurations which include technology innovations that help save energy and water. They also have:
- ENERGY STAR certified top-load machines clean your clothing just like standard models without wasting water to fill up the tub. Instead, these machines use sophisticated wash systems to cycle clothes through a mixture of water and detergent, allowing the clothes to be cleaned without using excess water or detergent.
- Front-load machines tumble clothes through a small amount of water instead of rubbing clothes against an agitator, while advanced top-load machines lift and tumble clothes through a reduced stream of water. Both designs dramatically reduce the amount of hot water and energy used in the wash cycle.
- Efficient motors spin clothes two to three times faster to extract more water. Less moisture in the clothes means less time in the dryer and less energy spent drying clothes.
- Front-load and advanced top-load clothes washers’ sophisticated wash systems use a variety of methods to lift and tumble your laundry, lengthening the life of often-washed items.
- Because they are so gentle, many models can safely clean silk, wool and other hand-washables.
We have THREE girls in the house. You know that means we are washing quite a few hand wash loads a week!
If all clothes dryers sold in the U.S. were ENERGY STAR certified, the energy cost savings would grow to more than $1.5 billion each year and 22 billion pounds of annual carbon pollution would be prevented. This is equal to the emissions from 2 million vehicles.
But it also means more money in my pocket because it is using less energy, energy that I am paying for. They also have some amazing advanced features like the Low Heat Setting and Steam Cycles. Longer drying cycles on a low heat setting use less energy. When you purchase an ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryer, look for the cycle that uses the least amount of energy, sometimes known as the “energy-saving” selection.
So doesn’t this just make ENERGY STAR clothes washers and dryers from Best Buy BETTER? They help you save energy which helps you save money. Better for our clothing, which means that I would not have to go spend the $50 I’m going to have to spend this week on a new pair of black dress pants which were ripped in my washing machine. They reduce wear and tear so the only reason I need to go shopping for new clothes is because I want them – not because they were pilled, ripped or destroyed. They help protect the planet with conservation and less pollution leaving us with lifelong benefits.
Learn more about the benefits of ENERGY STAR clothes washers and dryers as well as many other appliances when you visit the Best Buy Blog.
carrie s says
I am shocked at how much energy savings there could be. Thank you for this informative article. We all need to make the switch.