400 — loads of laundry washed by a typical U.S. household in one year1
35 billion — loads of laundry washed every year in the U.S.2
74 — percentage of U.S. households with washers and dryers3
7 — percentage of washing machines replaced by U.S. consumers each year3
81,000 — annual electricity consumption, in gigawatt hours, of U.S. washers and dryers3
33 to 50 — percentage reduction in energy use by high-efficiency washing machines compared to conventional washers4
40 — gallons of water used per full load of clothing in a conventional washer1
18 to 25 — gallons of water used per full load of clothing in a washer certified by Energy Star, a U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of Energy program1
16,000 — annual gallons of water used for clothes washing by a typical American household1
7,000 — gallons of water saved annually by using an Energy Star washing machine compared to a conventional washer1
13 million — annual metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from washers and dryers in the United States3
12 — average capacity, in pounds of clothes, of both high-efficiency washing machines and traditional washers5
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Articles by Kaitlin Gregg
Kaitlin Gregg is a student at Middlebury College and a former Grist intern.