U.S. appliances gain in energy efficiency

Not all the news on the energy-use front is depressing. Major home appliances sold in the U.S. in 2007 perform much more efficiently than they did seven years ago, according to a recent study by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

Washing machines, refrigerators, and dishwashers in this country consumed 43 percent less energy overall last year than they did in 2000. Washing machines posted a 63 percent decrease in energy use even as tub capacity grew by 8 percent, refrigerators now use 30 percent less energy, and dishwashers consumer 29 percent less energy.

Taken together, according to AHAM, the energy savings from these three appliances would offset the carbon-dioxide emissions from 1.3 coal-fired power plants or more than 698 million gallons of gasoline. Americans consumed 130.2 billion gallons of gasoline in 2001 and 140.2 billion gallons in 2007.

By comparison, the fuel efficiency of the average U.S. passenger car from 2000 to 2007 remained relatively unchanged at 27.5 miles per gallon—the minimum required to meet federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards. "During the last seven years, with more consumers purchasing larger and for the most part less-efficient vehicles, meeting higher CAFE standards has been a challenge," says Charlie Territo, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association that represents 10 major auto companies. New CAFE rules approved last year mandate an increase in fuel economy for cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans to 35 mpg by 2020.

"Dishwashers, refrigerators, and clothes washers have had programs for seven out of the last 10 years that include active efforts by utilities and governments to make it profitable for manufacturers to produce efficient machines and provide a cushion to help overcome any failures," explains David Goldstein, Ph.D. codirector of the energy program for the National Resources Defense Council.

Improved designs often drive efficiency:
• Today's front-loading washing machines, for example, are more water and energy efficient even though these appliances typically have greater load capacities than their predecessors did, according to Emilio Gonzalez a senior program leader in the Consumer Reports Technical division. (Watch our washing machine video buying guide, right.)

• The latest dishwashers filter wash water better and more often so they can avoid multiple large fills and reuse the water they have, cutting down water and energy use. "Soil sensors in dishwashers can save water and energy," Gonzalez says. Updated federal energy-efficiency requirements and Energy Star standards for dishwashers will go into effect in 2010. Our dishwasher Ratings (available to subscribers) reveal the most and least efficient models.

• The average refrigerator today consumes 498 kilowatt-hours—despite even wider use of energy-hungry water dispensers and icemakers. (The capacity of the average refrigerator in this country has not grown in recent years.) That's significantly less than 1,726 kWh used in 1972 and the 704 kWh figure from 1990. The improved efficiency has actually led to slight decreases in annual operation costs, even as the average cost per kilowatt-hour for residential electricity rose from 8.24 cents to 10.80 cents from 2000 to 2007. It cost $58 to run a refrigerator seven years ago but about $53 today.

A tale of a DOA dishwasher

Last week, I spotted an interesting post on Consumerist.com about a dishwasher purchase gone awry. The buyer related the following tale, and while his story, the beginning of which follows verbatim, might not be common, there are some shopping lessons to learn from it:

"This past weekend, I purchased a $1300 dishwasher from Sears.. They delivered it Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after order. Great! However the dishwasher that they delivered was defective, I immediately called the store where I purchased it, and spoke with the Sales lady.. She told me that Sears has outsourced their customer service to a company called OneSource and that I that she couldn't help me. . . . "

(Read more about the disheartened buyer's experience and the dozens of comments that ensued. Long story short, the guy is expecting a replacement dishwasher to be delivered on July 1.)

Many commenters urged the dishwasher buyer to use the charge-back feature of his credit card, which would give him the right to dispute a charge if he were dissatisfied with the quality of a purchase. But as we pointed out in an article about the consumer rights you have when you shop with a credit card, there are limits to charge-backs, including:

• You must have made a good-faith effort to resolve the problem directly with the merchant before disputing the charge.

• The charge must be at least $50, and the transaction must have occurred in your home state or within 100 miles of your current billing address. The transaction location depends on your state or other laws, which complicates matters, especially if you make a purchase online, by phone, or through the mail.

• The geographic restrictions and the $50 rule don't apply if the card issuer or close business partners sold you the product or service and also do not apply to billing errors.

One way to avoid getting stuck with problem appliances is to inform yourself about the products and the brands you're considering. There are no guarantees you'll be satisfied with what you buy—indeed, Kenmore dishwashers have not been repair-prone, based on more than 112,000 reader responses about dishwashers to the Annual Product Reliability Survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, as detailed in our Brand Repair History. But you might be able to avoid getting stuck with an underperforming item or an unreliable brand.

Read our expert advice for buying appliances, and if you're in the market for a new dishwasher, visit our product page to find the latest report and Ratings (with Brand Repair History, available to subscribers). Look for our latest review of appliance retailers and the services they provide in the August 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, online and on sale in July, and see how we test dishwashers (right).—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Read about a plan by Sears to start selling its brands at other retailers. And use our Home Improvement Guide interactive to take a room-by-room tour of the top-rated appliances and most cost-effective improvements you can make to your home.

Kitchen/Bath Industry Show Product Preview: Viking Designer Series Ultra-Premium 450 dishwasher

Viking dishwashers used to be made by Sweden-based Asko (learn who makes which appliances in “Appliance sleuthing”). But for its new Designer Series Ultra-Premium dishwashers, Viking decided to control the manufacturing process in an effort, the company says, to outfit its models with cutting-edge technology.

The 450 model, $1,575, can clean up to 15 place settings in one load, says Viking, and its features include a stainless-steel exterior and interior, a soil sensor that adjusts water use and pressure to the load, and a self-cleaning filter. The Energy Star-qualified dishwasher makes virtually no sound, touts the Greenwood, Mississippi-based manufacturer.

This dishwasher is available in 23 different colors, for a $100 premium. You’ll find it at Viking dealers and major retailers nationwide starting this June, with other models to follow.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Read our latest testing-based report on dishwashers and buying advice before you shop for a new model, and see our Ratings (available to subscribers) to help find the right one for you.

Q&A: What's the best way to load a dishwasher?

My kids load the dishwasher in a haphazard way and the dishes sometimes come out dirty. Is there a proper way to load a dishwasher?

Careful placement—combined with using an enzyme detergent and a rinse aid—can make the difference between your getting glistening dishes and grungy ones. Note that you can skip prerinsing your dishes. This step wastes time and energy and uses as much as 6,500 gallons of water per year. You can save even more water by running only full loads.

Follow our expert advice to help your dishwasher perform its best and keep your items from getting damaged:

1. Load large items at the sides and back of the dishwasher, so that they don't block water and detergent from reaching other dishes.

2. Place the dirtier side of dishes toward the center of the machine to provide more exposure to the spray. Don’t let dishes or utensils nest, or rest side by side, which can prevent water from reaching all surfaces.

3. Use the top rack for plastic and delicate items that are dishwasher safe.

4. Rest glassware on prongs to prevent breakage. And to prevent chipping, make sure that china, crystal, and stemware don’t touch other items. Don’t machine-wash brass, bronze, cast iron, disposable plastics, gold-colored flatware, gold-leaf china, hollow-handle knives, pewter, tin, or anything made of wood or with a wood handle.

5. Load silverware with handles down but place knives with the handles up. If your dishwasher has an open basket, mix spoons, forks, and knives to prevent them from sticking together.

6. Place items with baked-on food facedown and toward the sprayer in the bottom rack.

Essential information: Read our latest dishwasher report and visit our dishwasher page for expert advice on how to choose the right model and to check out our Ratings (available to subscribers). Continue reading this blog to find out which models we've tested.

Buzzword: Algorithm

What does it mean? An algorithm is a step-by-step process for solving a given task. The term derives from Persian mathematician Mohammad ibn-Musa al-Khwarizmi (780-850), who’s considered the father of algebra. In a modern context, algorithms are often associated with computer programmers, who use them to tell the machines not just what to do but also how to do it. Google, for example, uses algorithmic techniques to establish PageRanks, which in term determine which sites pop up when you search a term or phrase.

Why the buzz? At Consumer Reports, we’re increasingly encountering the term algorithm in reference to smart appliances: dryers that know when loads are dry, refrigerators that can self-regulate their temperature, and dishwashers that sense when dishes are done. (You can bet the dishwasher shown, from a 1952 Consumer Reports article, did not feature such gadgetry.)

This leap forward in appliance design started years ago when electronic controls replaced mechanical ones. On a range, mechanical controls limited you to turning on the appliance and setting its temperature. You had to make any subsequent adjustments on your own—say, turning down the temperature during the cooking process. More-sophisticated electronic controls have allowed manufacturers to develop software settings based on an understanding of how food reacts at different temperatures.

The pizza setting on two new GE Profile electric smoothtop ranges, for instance, use algorithms to distinguish between fresh and frozen pizzas so the cheese melts evenly without burning the crust. Those same ovens have a slow-cook mode that uses algorithms. “With slow cooking, you can’t just put the oven at 180°F and leave it there,” explains Brian Steurer, systems manager at GE for free-standing electric ranges. “If it’s a beef dish, you first have to raise the temperature to break down the collagen. Then you gradually lower the temperature to tenderize the meat without boiling away the moisture.”

“Algorithms are a good thing if they do what you want them to,” says Robert Karpel, a project leader in our Tech department who handles appliances. But that’s not always the case. The soil sensors on some dishwashers misread dirt levels and increase wash time and water use even if the loads are only lightly soiled. In other tests, algorithmic settings prove no more sophisticated than standard settings: The pizza mode on those GE ovens, for instance, was only as effective as the conventional oven control.

We’re not suggesting you avoid algorithmic bells and whistles, but don’t base a purchase on them—you might end up spending more for no noticeable performance enhancement. Instead, read our reports and Ratings of washers and dryers, ranges, and dishwashers. If a feature ends up saving you time or does a better job at a given task, so much the better.—Daniel DiClerico

Greener cleaners for your dishes?

As part of our latest report on dishwashing liquids, we tested four products that make green claims: Earth Friendly Dishmate Ultra, Ecover Ecological Dishwashing, Seventh Generation Free & Clear, and Trader Joe’s Dish Soap. All of these cleaners did at least a very good job cleaning dishes, but are they as green as they appear?

You might think so, since their packaging features words like “biodegradable,” “natural,” “environmentally friendly,” and “nontoxic.” But, as they say, never assume anything. For instance, “biodegradable” means little unless the claim is specific, such as “biodegradable in three days” or “certified biodegradable.”

If you want to buy a cleaner that’s somewhat gentler on the environment—say one that contains a renewable, plant-based cleaning agent instead of a petroleum-based one—be sure the green claim is real. “Certified biodegradable,” for example, is independently verified. Visit our Eco-labels Web site for information on environmental labels on a range of consumer goods, including household cleaners, food, and personal-hygiene products.

Perhaps your concerns are more about how humane a product is than how green it is. To find out whether a dishwashing liquid was tested on animals, look for the Leaping Bunny logo (shown). That independently verified seal of approval indicates a product wasn’t tested on animals during any stage of its development. The Earth Friendly and Seventh Generation liquids we tested both meet the Leaping Bunny standard.

Finally, if you want to avoid the cloying, potentially allergy-inducing scents of some cleaners, look for specific claims, such as “contains no artificial dyes or fragrances,” then check the ingredients list.

Essential information: See which dishwashing liquids topped our Ratings in the January 2008 issue of Consumer Reports or on ConsumerReports.org. If you’re in the market for a new sink or faucet to wash your dishes with, read “Money down the drain?” If you’d prefer to let a machine do the work, read our buying advice for dishwashers and see our Ratings (available to subscribers).

Buy the best appliances and kitchen gear

Shopping for appliances and kitchen gear shouldn’t be a race against the clock. You’re going to live with these products for years, so it’s important to choose models that blend performance, value, and brand reliability.

But if you can’t dedicate loads of time to researching your purchases, scout our all-star lineup of appliances and kitchen gear below. They’re the top performers from a year's worth of testing at Consumer Reports. Note that models within groups are listed in performance order, and prices for dishwashers, dryers, ranges, refrigerators, and washers are for models with a white finish.

Watch Bob Markovich, editor of the Consumer Reports Home & Yard franchise, present five top-performing appliances on NBC's Today Show, from November 19, 2007.)

(Click on each appliance name below to see models, then learn more about this gear using the links in the "essential information" section.)

• Cooktops & wall ovens
Essential information: Read our buying advice.

• Dishwashers
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and find out which dishwasher detergents work best.

• Gas grills
Essential information: Read our latest report, prepare our easy, delicious grilling recipes, and watch a video buying guide.

• Microwave ovens
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and take our microwave safety quiz.

• Ranges
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice.

• Refrigerators
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and find out how much storage space refrigerators really offer.

• Vacuum cleaners
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and watch a video buying guide.

• Washers & dryers
Essential information: Read our latest report on laundry appliances and buying advice for washers and dryers. Use our washing tips to keep you clothes looking their best, and learn how to avoid dryer fires.

• Wet/dry vacuums
Essential information: Read our latest report.