Natural Resources Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Office of Energy Efficiency Links

 

Office of Energy Efficiency

Menu

Energy Consumption of Major Household Appliances Shipped in Canada, Summary Report –
Trends for 1990–2009

PDF Version | Table of Contents | Next Page

Chapter 5: Clothes Washers

In 2009, the average annual unit energy consumption (UEC) of clothes washers was 234 kilowatt hours per year (kWh/yr),14 compared with 1218 kWh/yr in 1990. In addition, almost 70 percent of clothes washers shipped in Canada in 2009 were ENERGY STAR® qualified products exceeding the minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) by at least 36 percent.

5.1 Average annual unit energy consumption by model year

The average annual UEC of clothes washers decreased dramatically between 1990 and 2009 (see Table A.41 in Appendix A). During this period, the average annual UEC fell by 81 percent. This decrease is due both to energy efficiency improvements across all types of clothes washers and to the increasing popularity of front-loading units, which are more energy-efficient than top-loading units.

5.2 Distribution of shipments by type

Front-loading clothes washers became increasingly popular between 200115 and 2009. In 2001, these clothes washers accounted for only 16 percent of shipments in Canada. However, by 2009, they accounted for 61 percent of shipments.

The popularity of front-loading clothes washers has implications for energy consumption because these washers tend to consume significantly less water and energy than do top-loading washers. As illustrated in Figure 9, although the energy efficiency of top-loading clothes washers has improved substantially, they still consumed more than twice as much energy (on average) as front-loading washers from 2001 to 2009.

Figure 9 Average annual UEC of clothes washers by type, 2001–2009

Figure 9 Average annual UEC of clothes washers by type, 2001–2009.

5.3 Distribution of shipments by unit energy consumption

Figure 10 shows how the average annual UEC of shipped clothes washers changed between 1990 and 2009. In 1990, all clothes washers consumed 600 kWh/yr or more, and 64 percent consumed 1000 kWh/yr or more. By 2009, 89 percent of clothes washers consumed less than 400 kWh/yr and 16 percent consumed less than 150 kWh/yr (all ENERGY STAR qualified models).

Figure 10 Distribution of clothes washers by average annual UEC, 1990–2009

Figure 10 Distribution of clothes washers by average annual UEC, 1990–2009.

For regional shipment data by clothes washer type, volume and distribution by channel, refer to Tables A.37, A.38, A.39 and A.41 in Appendix A.

14 Includes hot water requirements.

15 2001 is the first year for which there are comprehensive data on distribution by clothes washer type.

Previous Page | Table of Contents| Next Page