Energy Efficient Washing Machine

The time had come to replace the washer, one we had actually obtained second hand about 9 years ago. That seems pretty good. The fact is that it's still working okay, but we need to replace the dryer, and we can't expect the washer to last forever. This would have least save us on the delivery charge.

While searching around for the basic washing machine we had in mind, we came across Maytag's Neptune laundry equipment. Maytag claims that the energy savings will pay for the washing machine. That's pretty easy to calculate: even though you'll easily spend an extra $500 for a Neptune washing machine, the calculation is that the energy savings (based on "typical" prices for energy and water in the year 2000) will be $165 per year.

So your break even point would be 3 to 5 years, hopefully it will last 10 years.

But you really need to crunch the numbers before figuring out if that's the right decision. Why?

The $165 savings is based on doing 10 loads of laundry a week, so your savings is about 32¢ per load.

If you don't do 10 loads a week, your expected savings would be proportionately reduced.
Although you can use regular detergent with the Neptune top-loader washing machines, the use of "high-energy" detergents is recommended. The extra expense of these detergents might cost as much as the promised savings on energy.
These machines generally have touch screen controls. When they fail, they will die completely. It may well cost a few hundred bucks to get them replaced.

There's plenty of room for the price of these machines to come down. Although Maytag claims that the dealer alone has sole discretion to determine the retail sale price of their products, word on the street is that Maytag has agreements with retailers to maintain the prices of products in the Neptune line, and it's worked so far.

The energy savings from buying a Neptune washer may make you feel good, but the financial benefits are questionable.
EliMantel - 12 Jun 2005

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