Putting a new spin on laundry day

By Julia King

Washing machines are the type of labour-saving device that most people in the developed world take for granted. In households with children, it's fair to assume that they are on most days. They save hours of scrubbing that earlier generations accepted as their lot.

Touch Revolution showcased an Android
washing machine at CES in Las Vegas

In the UK (United Kingdom), 95 % of households own some kind of laundry device (washing machine or washer-drier). Eighty per cent of households own a washing machine, and use of energy by these machines accounts for 4 368 GWh (Gigawatt hours), or 40 % of the total energy attributable to use of laundry products. Thirty-nine per cent of energy use in this area is attributable to tumble driers, though only 45 % of UK households own one of these. Twenty-one per cent of energy use is attributable to washer-driers, which are owned by just 15 % of households.

Interestingly, though, there are still substantial differences in the types of washing machines used around the world as well as in the ways in which people wash their clothes. On the whole, people in Asia and the Pacific Rim, the USA (United States of America) and South America use top loading – or vertical axis – machines.

In Europe and the Middle East, front loading machines with drums that spin on a horizontal axis are more common. These machines tend to be lower and are designed to fit under a standard worktop. They tend to be more economical to run, according to a report by the US Federal Trade Commission. They use one-half to one-third less water. Therefore, less energy is required to heat the water. In addition, less detergent is required. The less aggressive action of the horizontal axis machines, which tumble clothes rather than churn them, is claimed to result in extended life for clothes.

Performance considerations

Raveendran Vaidhyanathan is Convenor of MT (Maintenance Team) 15 and the executive responsible for laundry products for Samsung in Chicago, Illinois, USA. MT 15 is the maintenance team within TC (Technical Committee) 59: Performance of Electrical Household Appliances, which is charged with updating IEC 60456, Clothes washing machines for household use - Methods for measuring the performance.

Members of MT 15 are drawn from SC (Subcommittee) 59D: Home Laundry Appliances. The standard sets out measurement and test protocols, while the labelling and minimum efficiency norms are set by bodies such as the EC (European Commission) and the US DOE (Department of Energy).

According to Vaidhyanathan, users of vertical axis machines tend to operate their machines at lower wash temperatures. Asian users often use a cold wash, while North American users use warm wash or a 30 degree Centigrade wash. European users, on the other hand, are likely to select a cotton wash cycle at 40 degrees.

Reflecting global requirements

This is one of the reasons that MT 15 produced a new version of IEC 60456. The 4th edition of the standard was published in October 2003. However, as it was published, the WGs (Working Groups) within SC 59D were "mandated to make the standard more globally applicable", says Vaidhyanathan.

The 5th edition, which is currently in Final Draft stage, with publication expected in March or April, has taken into account the views of users around the world in order to make it truly global, says Vaidhyanathan. In addition, the committee has made sure that its regular meetings have been held in many different areas of the world to try to take into consideration the widest possible range of viewpoints.

"We had proactively asked what the different NCs (National Committees) wanted to include in the standard," says Vaidhyanathan. He adds: "We did not include everything. But most are there, and we added some explanation of why things are done in the way they are done."

Change proposals for the 5th edition of IEC 60456 were submitted in April 2005. As this demonstrates, at the same time as working on one edition, Sub Working Groups within SC 59D are already working on a set of proposals for the next edition. Often these proposals come as a result of feedback from the IEC NCs and other users of the standard, including consumer organizations and regulatory agencies.

Plans are already in place for the 6th edition of the standard. This is a good example of the IEC standards-making process at work: the process is one of constant evolution. Edition 6 work items are being discussed at the SC 59D – Sub Working groups meeting in Japan in March.

Issues at stake

Vaidhyanathan describes some of the changes that are being introduced with edition 5. In many of the areas that use vertical axis washers – Australia, Japan and China – soft water is the norm. This means that the quantity of detergent used will be different to that required in a hard water area. Water softness can vary from 50 to 250 ppm (parts per million) of salts such as magnesium and calcium.

Most Energy Star qualified clothes washers
do not have a central agitator

Other improvements are to do with the way in which laundry is loaded (placed into the washer) and folded. This may depend on the type of washer used and whether the washer is standard sized or accommodates large loads, as well as whether a small load is being washed. The 5th edition sets out ways in which testing is carried out with regard to this and allows for loads of up to 15 kg.

An extended test set for stains has been defined. It now includes artificial sebum (to represent natural body oils) and aged red wine stains. Additional controls have been added for rinsing, and a simplified test for wool shrinkage has been defined that only requires four test cycles to be used instead of the six previously asked for.

A low-power mode definition has been added for machines that are 'left on'. It became apparent that some users never switch off their machines but leave them permanently on. Left-on machines are likely to consume more energy than those machines that are switched off at the end of the wash cycle – depending on whether or not the machine benefits from a power management system.

The 5th edition includes a number of annexes designed to provide information for users of the standard. There is one that contains guidelines about good laboratory practice concerning repeatability and reproducibility of tests. Another annex discusses the reference programme on lower temperature washes when compared with the typical household machine programme.

There is also a section designed to explain "the reasons for the requirements in the standard and to explain what impact it may have when the requirements are not followed".

As Vaidhyanathan says, "We are trying to encourage companies to adopt the standard and to have the confidence to use it".

Observing the rules

EU energy label for a washing
machine

Overall, standardization is very important; however, it is essential that companies use standards accurately. Standardization should give consumers the confidence to buy household machines and know that they meet specific requirements. It should also allow manufacturers to compete fairly from a known base. In a slightly different area to that discussed above, a recent report by the UK's DEFRA (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) throws doubt on some of the performance and energy consumption claims made by manufacturers on machine labels.

It should be noted that EU (European Union) labelling follows EN (European) standards (issued by CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) and that labelling requirements are set out as an EC Directive. IEC International Standards in this area, on the other hand, are intended as globally-applicable measures of performance and are adopted voluntarily by manufacturers.

Energy Star is the US
government-backed
symbol for energy
efficient products

In early 2009 there was agreement within the EU on labelling a wide range of goods to demonstrate their energy efficiency. The move was designed to encourage "the supply chain to make and sell the most efficient products and for consumers to purchase better performing appliances", said DEFRA. The EU adds that compulsory minimum efficiency requirements will encourage producers of household appliances to improve the product design with a view to lowering the energy consumption caused by their use.

The average American family washes nearly 400 loads of laundry each year. In the USA, the labelling campaign for energy efficient products goes by the name Energy Star. The efficiency requirements set down by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) are that products have to contribute significant energy savings nationwide while retaining certain features and performance. Over time, purchasers are expected to be able to recover their output costs by making savings on their utility bills. The EPA claims that during the life of an Energy Star label washing machine, the purchaser will reduce their related energy costs by more than a third and their water costs by more than half. EPA calculates savings to in excess of USD 1 000 over ten years which, they say, is enough to purchase the matching dryer.

As long as manufacturers play fair and claims made for energy efficiency performance can be justified, these developments can only be for the better. They will benefit the environment, the consumer and the manufacturers themselves.