Energy-efficient washing machines and tumble dryers can be made to operate even more frugally, it has been argued.
Sarah Owens writes in a piece for the Northwestern that how appliances are loaded can affect the amount of water and energy they use - therefore, monitoring this can help cut bills and carbon emissions.
She recommends using warm and cold cycles "whenever possible" as doing this every time a wash load is done saves between 300 and 400 gallons of water per year for the average home.
She adds: "If you must wash small loads, set the washer to use less water," and recommends appliances that come equipped with a moisture sensor, so that the unit "will turn off automatically when clothes are dry".
The recommendations may inspire some consumers to make their existing appliances more efficient, which can be achieved with
washing machine parts and
tumble dryer spares from a number of manufacturers.
See our range of Washing Machine Spares