Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Front Load Efficiency Study

City of Portland Washer Efficiency Study
A recent study conducted by the City of Portland's Office of Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Portland Water Bureau, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, Oregon Department of Energy, and Coin Meter Co.

The study result at a glance: Average WATER Savings from Front-Load Washers:8 gallons/load $0.01/load (includes sewer)

FRONT LOADING MACHINE DISADVANTAGES"Front loading machines often require more maintenance. One of the advantages of front loading units is that they need less detergent. However, communicating this fact to users can be difficult and detergent overloading is common which leads to oversudsing. Too much detergent will clog fill lines and render the washer inoperable leading to user complaints. This in turn leads to additional service calls to repair the unit."

"Another challenge with front-loading machines is that, by the nature of their design, the loading door must lock after the machine has filled with water. Opening the door after it has filled will result in water spilling out of the unit (Top loaders can be opened at any time during the washing cycle). Sometimes the door will be forced open so that a missed item can be included in the wash. This action allows water to discharge to the floor creating a hazard and requires the door to be repaired.""The front-loading door swings open out over the floor area. In doing so, any residual water left on the door can potentially drip off onto the floor creating a hazard."

Friday, January 11, 2008

Developer reaps savings on sewer access charges with Common Area Laundry Rooms

Green Advantage: Common area laundry rooms on water conservation and building ”green”. Steve Minn - principal of Lupe Development Partners, Minneapolis


Minn has embraced the concept of building “green”. He has incorporated common area laundry rooms into the new Stone Arch Apartment complex. By including this water saving amenity, Minn qualified for a 20 percent discount on sewer access charges from a regional waste treatment organization. Like many other developers, Minn has taken advantage of not only green building credits, but also provided a conservation opportunity for both the property owner and residents at the Stone Arch Apartments.
“We estimate that our buildings use about 70 percent less water than those buildings having in-unit laundry options”, said Minn. The Stone Arch Apartments uses this water-saving effort as a marketing tool to prospective residents concerned about conservation.
View this beautiful property with many amenities – including central laundry rooms at: http://www.stonearchapartments.com/

Do 'Green' Appliances Live Up to Their Billing?

The Wall Street Journal
Energy-Efficient Devices Flood Market, but Some Owners Find Results Fall Short of Promises
By SARA SCHAEFER MUĂ‘OZ
August 2, 2007

Amid concerns about energy consumption, Americans are increasingly encouraged to buy energy-efficient appliances. But while some of the latest products can offer significant energy and water savings, they can be double the price -- or have kinks that can result in clothes and dishes needing to be washed twice.

While most energy-saving appliances perform well, some can pose problems. For example, many consumers don't know they need to use high-efficiency soap or half the amount of regular detergent with front-loading clothes-washers.... Regular detergent creates extra suds in this type of washer, and is tougher to rinse. Also, the machine senses the suds and uses extra water, offsetting savings.

Environmental advocates point out that the biggest energy sucks aren't washing machines and dishwashers. Many consumers don't realize that an energy-guzzling plasma TV can off-set the energy-savings of kitchen appliances. A conventional TV consumes about 130 watts of power per hour, while a 42-inch plasma consumes more than twice as much, or around 350 watts per hour, according to Tom Reddoch, manager of energy use for the Electric Power Research Institute, a Palo Alto, Calif., nonprofit organization that promotes the adoption of energy-efficient practices. And one of the largest energy-savings measures is replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which use about 75% less energy than standard bulbs.

Energy-efficient builders and energy-saving advocates advise that if people want to upgrade to energy efficient appliances, they should focus first on refrigerators, because unlike a dishwasher or clothes washer, they run all the time.