In the 1970s a residential clothing washer would run for about 40 minutes at the max setting pulling 120 volts and 5 amps. Albeit they used more water to clean the cloths faster.
A modern front load washer now runs for about 2 hours for a regular wash at the same 120 volts and 5 amps. Although we are saving water we recycle anyway…
Got it, so just vibes… Well, since you caught me on a Friday with a light schedule…
Amperage rating is maximum load, not how much it uses the entire cycle. I just so happen to have my washer hooked up to a power meter, and look at that! It doesn’t draw the entire load during the entire cycle (which would look like a flat line)!
Runtime is not correlated with energy use. Energy is actually much more closely linked to water usage, since it takes a lot of energy to heat up all that water for a cycle, and all that water weight causes extra load on the internal motors. The additional runtime of modern washing equipment is mostly idle time to allow for additional soaking, etc. and not contributing much energy use. Historical trends show a pretty steady decline in energy use. Here’s one study that found a 75+% decrease in energy use per load from the 90’s to the early 2010’s:
This is interesting, because when partnered with data on tub size, it actually shows that even as loads get larger, energy use has been decreasing over time:
(source is Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers again).
Back to your original comments about refrigerators, I’ll just add, going from ~1400 kWh/yr in 1980 to ~400 kWh/yr in 2014 is a 72% decrease in energy use (which is amazing), even while real appliance costs have come down AND volume has gone up.
IDK where you live, but 1000 kWh/yr for me would cost ~$250 ($0.25/kWh). Swapping a 1980s fridge with a modern one would pay for itself in just 2-3 years. Hell, I could even splurge for a fancy fridge and still have a payback faster than investing in the stock market.
These gains, largely driven by regulatory efficiency targets, all benefit the consumer and the electricity grid at large. Being cranky about the fact that “they don’t make them like they used to” doesn’t change the fact that meaningful improvements have been made over time.
20+ years in the appliance repair industry.
In the 1970s a residential clothing washer would run for about 40 minutes at the max setting pulling 120 volts and 5 amps. Albeit they used more water to clean the cloths faster.
A modern front load washer now runs for about 2 hours for a regular wash at the same 120 volts and 5 amps. Although we are saving water we recycle anyway…
Got it, so just vibes… Well, since you caught me on a Friday with a light schedule…
Amperage rating is maximum load, not how much it uses the entire cycle. I just so happen to have my washer hooked up to a power meter, and look at that! It doesn’t draw the entire load during the entire cycle (which would look like a flat line)!
Runtime is not correlated with energy use. Energy is actually much more closely linked to water usage, since it takes a lot of energy to heat up all that water for a cycle, and all that water weight causes extra load on the internal motors. The additional runtime of modern washing equipment is mostly idle time to allow for additional soaking, etc. and not contributing much energy use. Historical trends show a pretty steady decline in energy use. Here’s one study that found a 75+% decrease in energy use per load from the 90’s to the early 2010’s:
This is interesting, because when partnered with data on tub size, it actually shows that even as loads get larger, energy use has been decreasing over time:
(source is Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers again).
Back to your original comments about refrigerators, I’ll just add, going from ~1400 kWh/yr in 1980 to ~400 kWh/yr in 2014 is a 72% decrease in energy use (which is amazing), even while real appliance costs have come down AND volume has gone up.
IDK where you live, but 1000 kWh/yr for me would cost ~$250 ($0.25/kWh). Swapping a 1980s fridge with a modern one would pay for itself in just 2-3 years. Hell, I could even splurge for a fancy fridge and still have a payback faster than investing in the stock market.
These gains, largely driven by regulatory efficiency targets, all benefit the consumer and the electricity grid at large. Being cranky about the fact that “they don’t make them like they used to” doesn’t change the fact that meaningful improvements have been made over time.