I read the above comment by Steve and agree very much that the most energy efficient path is to wait until the old one breaks. I used to buy “gently used” washers and dryers, but often times they just didn’t work the best for the electricity efficiency.

Great post – thanks.

Jeanne Reslan
http://www.ecolabelfundraising.com

Many people buy things they don’t need, just to upgrade their equipment or to remodel their home or simply because they’re bored. (Okay, people don’t generally get bored with their washing machine, so change it, but they do with their bathroom and throw out perfectly good equipment just because they want a new look. Also, if a dishwasher doesn’t fit in with a new colour scheme or layout of their house because of its size, they will change it.)

The greenest thing you can do is delay investing in any new appliance until the old one breaks. Unless the old one is absolutely ancient, it’s lower efficiency will more than be offset by the resources wasted in junking it and in those used to produce its replacement.

Plus, you can always green them – put a brick in your toilet’s cistern; set the washer on the lowest heat setting you can; only use your dishwasher with a full load. There are many, many websites offering a wealth of such advice.

But the best green advice is simply don’t buy unless you have to.

Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog http://www.lionsledbysheep.com
and suspense thriller ‘What if…?’