Eco programs on the products

Cleaning your clothes or your plates and cutlery with a modern washing machine or dishwasher usually takes somewhere between three and a half to four hours. If you use the Eco program. If you want to finish faster, you can use an alternative program, but then both energy use and water consumption increase significantly.

Since the new energy label was introduced on washing machines and dishwashers on March 1, 2021, it is easy for consumers to directly read the product's label, including the energy class (AG) and energy use in kilowatt hours (for 100 washes/dishes), water consumption (per wash/dish) and how long it takes to wash or dish.

What is important to keep in mind is that all printed numbers only apply when the machines are run in the "Eco 40-60" washing program and the "Eco" dishwashing program, respectively.

Many modern washing machines and dishwashers are equipped with sensors to measure things like weight and dirt level, in order to adjust the amount of water, detergent/dishwashing liquid and heat accordingly. They are also equipped with various special programs that, for example, shorten the program time by up to 75 percent. However, if maximum energy efficiency is to be achieved, it is necessary to use the Eco program, which takes a relatively long time.

There are probably some consumers who have wondered how new appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers, can be considered energy-saving when they take more than twice as long to finish, compared to older machines.

The biggest reason is that the new machines use significantly less water than older machines. Today, there are dishwashers that use only eight liters per wash, while dishwashers in the past could use almost 50 liters. Heating a smaller amount of water requires less energy, but to get the dishes clean, the machine needs to run longer, which, however, is more energy efficient than heating the water itself due to energy-efficient motors.

And the same goes for washing machines – they run longer, but use less water.

Big difference between different programs

The Swedish Energy Agency tested washing machines in 2017 and concluded that it is worthwhile to use the Eco program. The washing machines tested were all in the most efficient energy class at the time, A+++. The test involved comparing the cotton program used to produce the energy label, which is now called ”Eco 40-60”, with alternative cotton programs on the same machine. The Energy Agency’s test showed that alternative programs on the same washing machine used an average of 88 percent more energy and 70 percent more water.

This means that someone who bought a washing machine with energy class A+++ but instead of using the "slow" Eco program chose to regularly use a faster, alternative cotton program would consume as much energy as a machine four energy classes lower, i.e. one with energy class B.

Even though development is constantly moving forward, this particular situation is likely to be the same, or at least similar, today as it was six years ago.

Text: Ola Larsson

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