Energy Consumption of Clothes Washers
Key facts
- The average annual UEC of clothes washers decreased 85% between 1990 and 2015, partly because of the increased popularity of front-loading units.
- The average tub capacity of clothes washers increased 57% from 1990 to 2015. However, the average energy consumption per tub litre decreased at a much faster rate (89%).
- In 1990, all clothes washers consumed at least 600 kWh/yr. By 2015, 48% consumed fewer than 150 kWh/yr.
- To learn more about purchasing an energy-efficient clothes washer for your home, please visit our ENERGY STAR clothes washers page.
Average annual unit energy consumption
The average annual unit energy consumption (UEC) of clothes washers dropped by 85% between 1990 and 2015. This decrease occurred due to factors including:
- Energy efficiency improvements, coinciding with the introduction of and subsequent amendments to the minimum energy performance standards (MEPS)
- Increasing popularity of front-loading units, which are more energy-efficient than top-loading units
Check out our publication Choosing and Using Appliances With EnerGuide (PDF, 934 KB) for more information.
Average annual UEC of clothes washers, 1990–2015 (kWh/yr)
Text version
Average annual UEC of clothes washers, 1990–2015 (kWh/yr)
Model year | kWh/yr |
---|---|
1990 | 1218.0 |
1991 | 1197.4 |
1992 | 1175.5 |
1993 | 1094.1 |
1994 | 989.1 |
1995 | 965.9 |
1996 | 948.7 |
1997 | 930.1 |
1998 | 903.3 |
1999 | 859.9 |
2000 | 838.3 |
2001 | 810.1 |
2002 | 779.2 |
2003 | 708.4 |
2004 | 572.9 |
2005 | 443.6 |
2006 | 389.6 |
2007 | 287.2 |
2008 | 261.5 |
2009 | 233.8 |
2010 | 216.8 |
2011 | 207.7 |
2012 | 220.7 |
2013 | 220.3 |
2014 | 204.6 |
2015 | 186.3 |
Front-loading vs top-loading washers
Front-loading clothes washers tend to consume less energy and water than top-loading washers. In 2001, front-loading clothes washers accounted for only 16% of shipments in Canada; by 2015, their popularity grew to 49% of shipments.
Although the energy efficiency of top-loading washers has improved substantially over the years, they still consumed more than twice as much energy (on average) as front-loading washers in 2015.
Average annual UEC of clothes washers by type, 2001–2015 (kWh/yr)
Text version
Average annual UEC of clothes washers by type, 2001–2015 (kWh/yr)
Model year | Front-loading | Top-loading |
---|---|---|
2001 | 287.0 | 904.7 |
2002 | 300.6 | 871.1 |
2003 | 274.8 | 826.9 |
2004 | 258.4 | 702.3 |
2005 | 218.8 | 608.8 |
2006 | 202.7 | 555.0 |
2007 | 183.9 | 415.1 |
2008 | 179.4 | 387.2 |
2009 | 172.0 | 331.9 |
2010 | 148.3 | 318.7 |
2011 | 138.1 | 299.9 |
2012 | 131.5 | 319.0 |
2013 | 119.3 | 317.2 |
2014 | 119.4 | 284.9 |
2015 | 117.7 | 251.8 |
Tub capacity
The average tub capacity of clothes washers increased 57% from 1990 to 2015. However, the average energy consumption per tub litre has decreased at a much faster rate during the same period (89%). This indicates that consumers are washing substantially more clothes per load and using significantly less energy in doing so.
Tub capacity of clothes washers, 1990–2015 (litres)
Text version
Tub capacity of clothes washers, 1990–2015 (litres)
Model year | Average clothes washer tub capacity |
---|---|
1990 | 72.72 |
1991 | 76.08 |
1992 | 77.03 |
1993 | 77.13 |
1994 | 77.75 |
1995 | 78.02 |
1996 | 80.17 |
1997 | 79.63 |
1998 | 81.16 |
1999 | 81.68 |
2000 | 82.23 |
2001 | 83.13 |
2002 | 83.85 |
2003 | 84.07 |
2004 | 84.42 |
2005 | 84.98 |
2006 | 86.51 |
2007 | 87.12 |
2008 | 88.16 |
2009 | 91.68 |
2010 | 96.27 |
2011 | 100.47 |
2012 | 102.83 |
2013 | 105.23 |
2014 | 109.83 |
2015 | 114.05 |
Average energy consumption of clothes washers, 1990–2015 (kWh/litre)
Text version
Average energy consumption of clothes washers, 1990–2015 (kWh/litre)
Model year | Average energy consumption |
---|---|
1990 | 16.75 |
1991 | 15.74 |
1992 | 15.26 |
1993 | 14.18 |
1994 | 12.72 |
1995 | 12.38 |
1996 | 11.83 |
1997 | 11.68 |
1998 | 11.13 |
1999 | 10.53 |
2000 | 10.19 |
2001 | 9.75 |
2002 | 9.29 |
2003 | 8.43 |
2004 | 6.79 |
2005 | 5.22 |
2006 | 4.50 |
2007 | 3.30 |
2008 | 2.97 |
2009 | 2.55 |
2010 | 2.25 |
2011 | 2.07 |
2012 | 2.15 |
2013 | 2.09 |
2014 | 1.86 |
2015 | 1.63 |
Water consumption
Manufacturers have improved the overall water consumption of clothes washers over the years, which has an impact on energy use and leads to energy savings (Natural Resources Canada, Office of Energy Efficiency, Equipment database). Front-loading washers tumble clothes through a small amount of water instead of rubbing clothes against an agitator in a full tub. Advanced top-loading washers flip or spin clothes through a reduced stream of water (rather than filling up the entire washer).
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2015 | % Change 2005–2015 |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Average water used (litres per cycle) for each litre of tub size |
1.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 | -52.4 |
Distribution of shipments by unit energy consumption
In 1990, all clothes washers consumed at least 600 kWh/yr, and 64% of them consumed 1000 kWh/yr or more.
By 2015, all shipped clothes washers consumed fewer than 600 kWh/yr, and 48% consumed fewer than 150 kWh/yr.
Distribution of clothes washers by average annual UEC, 1990–2015 (%)
Text version
Distribution of clothes washers by average annual UEC, 1990–2015 (%)
50–99.9 kWh/yr | 100–149.9 kWh/yr | 150–199.9 kWh/yr | 200–399.9 kWh/yr | 400–599.9 kWh/yr | 600–999.9 kWh/yr | 1000–1849.9 kWh/yr | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 35.7 | 64.3 |
1991 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 34.3 | 65.7 |
1992 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 22.7 | 77.3 |
1993 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 29.4 | 70.6 |
1994 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 49.7 | 50.3 |
1995 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 55.6 | 44.4 |
1996 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 54.9 | 44.9 |
1997 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 49.4 | 47.9 |
1998 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 0.1 | 42.6 | 49.6 |
1999 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.6 | 1.3 | 61.7 | 26.4 |
2000 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 0.3 | 75.3 | 11.4 |
2001 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 17.0 | 0.1 | 79.9 | 3.0 |
2002 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 21.0 | 0.0 | 72.7 | 5.0 |
2003 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 4.7 | 23.5 | 4.3 | 65.6 | 1.6 |
2004 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 8.1 | 27.4 | 19.1 | 45.2 | 0.0 |
2005 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 14.0 | 31.4 | 31.7 | 20.1 | 0.0 |
2006 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 23.5 | 27.8 | 31.2 | 14.2 | 0.0 |
2007 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 32.6 | 32.4 | 26.6 | 2.5 | 0.0 |
2008 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 35.3 | 34.4 | 21.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
2009 | 0.0 | 15.9 | 29.1 | 44.3 | 10.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
2010 | 0.6 | 36.9 | 20.0 | 29.8 | 12.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
2011 | 7.0 | 39.8 | 23.2 | 13.0 | 16.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
2012 | 11.5 | 33.4 | 24.7 | 6.7 | 23.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
2013 | 20.8 | 24.5 | 22.3 | 7.2 | 25.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
2014 | 19.2 | 30.5 | 18.9 | 14.2 | 17.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
2015 | 18.0 | 30.3 | 15.7 | 30.4 | 5.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |