FEMP FEMP Clothes Washer User manual

For More Information:
EERE Information Center
1-877-EERE-INF or 1-877-337-3463
www.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/
Federal Energy Management Program
Federal Energy Management Program
Leading by example,
saving energy and
taxpayer dollars in
federal facilities
FEMP Designated Product:
Purchasing Specifications
for Energy-Efficient Products
Legal Authorities
Federal agencies are required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) and Federal Acquisition
Regulations (FAR) Subpart 23.2 to specify and buy ENERGY STAR
®
-qualified products or, in categories with
no ENERGY STAR label, FEMP-designated products which are among the highest 25 percent of equivalent
products for energy efficiency.
Clothes Washers
Performance Requirement for Federal Purchases
Washer Capacity Modified Energy Factora
1.6 to 3.5 cu. ft. 1.42 or more
a) Modified Energy Factor (MEF) is the number of cubic feet of clothes washed and dried per kilowatt hour (kWh) of
electricity used. MEF is calculated by dividing the tub capacity by the total energy (clothes washer, water heater
and dryer) used per wash load (10 CFR 430, sub-part B, Appendix J).
Buying Energy-Efficient Clothes Washers
When buying residential and family-size commercial clothes washers use the
Modified Energy Factor (MEF) instead of the annual energy consumption (kWh/
year) shown on the yellow EnergyGuide label. While both measures include the
energy used by the washer and water heater, MEF adds that used by the dryer.
Since some clothes washers are more effective at spinning moisture from clothing,
resulting in less time and energy needed for drying, MEF is a more accurate indi-
cator of performance. Specify or select products that are ENERGY STAR-qualified (see For More Information),
all of which meet the MEF shown in the Performance Requirement table.
Family-sized commercial clothes washers are similar to residential clothes washers in size, performance,
features, and connections. The commercial products have sturdier frames and mechanical components, a
modified control panel with fewer control settings, and feature a coin box, debit card reader or other reve-
nue collecting device.
Performance requirements apply to all forms of procurements, including: guide and project specifications;
construction, renovation, repair, maintenance and energy service contracts, lease agreements and solicita-
tions for offers. Energy performance requirements should be included in all evaluations of solicitation
responses. Model language to assist agencies with incorporating these performance requirements into their
procurement documents is available at http://www.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/eep_modellang.cfm.
The federal supply source for clothes washers is the General Services Administration (GSA), which sells
them through its Multiple Awards Schedules program and on-line shopping network, GSA Advantage! Note
that not all clothes washers sold by GSA are ENERGY STAR-qualified and some that do qualify may not be
indicated as such. When buying clothes washers through this source, check the make and model number
against the list of qualified products on the ENERGY STAR web site to assure they meet this Specification.
User Tips
A substantial amount of the energy used for clothes washing is for heating the water. Selecting cold water
wash cycles will save energy; appropriate load-size settings will save both water and energy. ENERGY STAR-
qualified clothes washers use less water than standard models while cleaning just as well.

Federal Energy Management Program
Federal Energy Management Program
Leading by example,
saving energy and
taxpayer dollars in
federal facilities
FEMP Designated Product:
Clothes Washers
In areas with limited water supplies, consider buying products with low water factors (WF), a performance
metric for comparing clothes washer water consumption independent of capacity. WF is the total water used
per cycle divided by the machine’s capacity (in cu. ft.). A lower value indicates a more efficient clothes wash-
er. While ENERGY STAR does not currently include WF in its performance criteria, the Department of Energy
(DOE) is proposing to add it in January 2007. The Consortium for Energy Efficiency (see For More Information)
includes WF in its list of qualifying products.
Cost-Effectiveness Example
Performance Base Modela Required Best Availableb
Modified Energy Factor 1.04 1.42 2.34
Annual Electricity Usec 1,250 kWh 917 kWh 556 kWh
Annual Energy Cost $75 $55 $33
Lifetime Energy Cost $720 $530 $320
Water Factor (gallons/cu. ft./cycle) 11.1 10.5 3.6
Annual Water Use 14,400 gallons 13,700 gallons 4,750 gallons
Annual Water & Sewer Cost $58 $55 $19
Lifetime Water & Sewer Cost $610 $580 $200
Lifetime Utilities Costd $1,330 $1,110 $520
Lifetime Utilities Cost Savings - $220 $810
a) The efficiency (MEF) of the Base Model is the minimum allowed by current US DOE appliance standards.
b) More efficient products may have been introduced to the market since this specification was published. Information
on the best available model was obtained from the ENERGY STAR residential clothes washers products list (see For
More Information).
c) Includes energy for washing, drying and water heating. This value is not the same as that shown on the EnergyGuide
label.
d) Lifetime utilities cost is the sum of the discounted value of the annual electricity, water, and sewer costs based on aver-
age usage and an assumed clothes washer life of 13 years. Future energy price trends and a discount rate of 3.0% are
based on federal guidelines (effective from April, 2005 to March, 2006). Future water and sewer costs are conservatively
assumed to increase only at the rate of inflation.
Cost-Effectiveness Assumptions
In this example, annual energy use is calculated with the standard DOE test procedure for a residential clothes
washer with a 3.3 cubic foot capacity cleaning 392 loads per year. The assumed electricity price is 6¢ per kWh,
the average at federal facilities in the US. The assumed water and sewer cost is $4.00 per 1,000 gallons.
Using the Cost-Effectiveness Table
In the example shown above, when using electric water heating and drying, the Required clothes washer is
cost-effective if its purchase price is no more than $220 above the price of the Base Model. The Best Available
model is cost-effective if its price is no more than $810 above the Base Model. These savings will be less if nat-
ural gas is used for water heating and/or drying.
What if my Utility Prices or Usage are different?
ENERGY STAR has an Excel-based cost calculator for clothes washers on its web site. Go to
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=clotheswash.pr_clothes_washers, and click on Savings Calculator -
Clothes Washers. Select the water heater type from the pull-down menu then input the number of loads per
week plus the rates for electricty, natural gas and water. The output section will automatically display results
that better reflect your conditions.
March 2006
For More Information:
EERE Information Center
1-877-EERE-INF or 1-877-337-3463
www.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/
General Services Administration
[phone]
www.fss.gsa.gov/
www.gsaadvantage.gov/
EPA/DOE ENERGY STAR has lists of
qualified residential and family-size
commercial clothes washers at:
[phone]
www.energystar.gov/products/
American Council for and Energy
Efficient Economy (ACEEE) publishes
the Consumer’s Guide to Home Energy
Savings which contains a chapter on
laundry and list of energy-efficient
clothes washers. This guide is available
from ACEEE at:
[phone]
www.aceee.org/
The Consortium for Energy Efficiency
(CEE) provides information on utility
programs promoting energy-efficient
clothes washers.
[phone]
www.cee1.org/
Federal Trade Commission lists the
annual energy use of clothes washers
and other appliance data on its web
site at:
www.ftc.gov/energy/
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
provided market research and life cycle
cost analysis in support of this energy-
efficiency purchasing specification.
[phone]
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