Washing Clothes in Cold Water
Cost – None, cost is similar to regular laundry detergent
Savings – $63-84 / year[1] [2]
Installation Time – None
Materials/Tools Needed – Cold water laundry detergent
Maintenance – None
There are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes—use less water and use cooler water. Unless you're dealing with oily stains or heavily-soiled clothes, the warm or cold water setting on your machine will generally do a good job of cleaning your clothes.
Switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut a load's energy use in half. About 90% of energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water.
Tips
á Wash full loads. Even if the washer allows variable sized loads to save water, the energy used for small loads is equivalent.
á DonŐt over-wash. Extended run times cause wear and tear on fabrics and arenŐt necessary with improved detergents.
á Clothes washed in cold water last longer and colors stay brighter.
á If your washer is more than 10 years old, consider buying a newer ENERGY STAR washer for much greater efficiencies in water and energy.
á Hot water is better for killing bacteria in items like diapers and underwear.
á For an estimate of savings, use the calculator at: http://www.laundrylist.org/en/line-drying/calculator