Washer Energy Savers
Change the way you use your washer and dryer to use less energy and save money.
Use your washer and dryer on the weekends when energy use is lower. If your electric company charges different rates at different times, you'll save money. And the power company won't have to build a new generator for peak loads and raise your rates to pay for it.
 Most of the energy used by a washing machine comes from heating the water. So set washer loads for "warm" or "cold" wash instead of hot. Extra dirty loads might need a cold-water pre-soak. The only time I've ever heard a washer really needs hot water is for oily/greasy stains. The washer rinse water should always be cold since the temperature does not affect cleaning. Using cooler water gives you the added bonus of longer-lasting clothes.
Look into cold-water laundry detergents if you have trouble with your current detergents when running cold-water washes.
Run only full, but not overfull, loads in your washer. (If you must be compulsive, weigh a few loads to get a feel for what a "full" load of clothes--per the load capacity listing on your washer--looks like.) One large washer load takes less energy than washing a couple loads on a lower setting. Which reminds me: if you must wash a smaller load, set the water setting lower.
If your washer has a suds-saving feature, use it to save wash water from lightly-soiled loads to reuse in the next load. But only if you're washing the next load right away. Otherwise, yuck.
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