Our second-hand dryer finally broke for real so we embarked on the path of enlightened laundering through many hours of research.
The first hurdle is the fact that here in Ptown no "Green Appliance Store" exists. So you have to engage the capitalist machine on its level, i.e. going into Sears or Home Depot. I dread these sort of places because they have no problem with slave-labor or unhealthy environmental practices, they are caught in the "Free Market" paradigm which says you must take from the community rather than give to it.
Before hitting the actual store we checked the Energy Star website which allows for easy comparison of prices, features, and more importantly you can see the "foot print" the appliance will leave on the planet.
An ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer can save you $550 in operating costs over its lifetime compared to a regular clothes washer. ENERGY STAR qualified washers are also better for the environment because lowering energy and water use means less air pollution from power plants and less water going to waste.
My mother still insists that no one "needs" a dryer- clotheslines work just fine. I think she might be on to something there but the M3house has its job to do. I think everyone should go to the site and read what they have to say about why we should use these products- they pack a ton of info into short blurbs.
The dryer can't be listed but the washer can. After comparing dryers you can pretty much figure out which is best. You want a high volume but a low MEF, I think they have a key for the list. We went for the new LG, who also makes the greenest washer. Among other features it has a sensor which turns off the dryer when the clothes are as dry as you want- no more BAKED unitards! We liked the LG even more because they make claims to sustainable practice on the LG site.
We were hoping to get the washer and dryer but my credit rating only allowed for the dryer $800 or 900?. I applied for the Home Depot card and will have one year without interest, the budget as it is will have it paid before then.
Our electric energy is derived from local wind and Bio-mass, the water heater currently uses natural gas but soon we will install the Photo-Voltaic and Solar water panels. We have the water panels and are waiting for the PV people.
I am bummed that it has to come from far away though, if it were made here in Portland then it would truly be green.
Coming soon: bathroom redo...
