Getting a washing machine

I suspect a conspiracy going on:

All washing machine promoters for the big retailers in Singapore are affiliated to LG

Whether it's Best Denki, Harvey Norman or Courts, I'm always directed to a LG set.

Baffled, I decided to conduct a very thorough investigation on what criteria is need for my washer.

After reading countless products' specifications and manuals, I noticed the few recurring terms that seem important:

1. Energy efficiency index (EEI)
2. Washing performance index
3. Spin-drying efficiency class

A further search reveals this Wikipedia article on a European Union directive to standardize the measurement of energy efficiency levels for major home appliances. 

So I decided to do up an Excel sheet to consider the important technical specifications of a perfect washer:

1. Energy efficiency index (EEI)

The EEI measures the estimated annual electricity consumption.

Usually measure in 220 washing cycles. The scale goes from A+++ to D; where A+++ is the most energy effective. 

2. Electricity Consumption (kWh), Device Wattage (W) and Duration of wash modes

Electricity consumption: to see an estimate of how much electricity the washer consumes per hour.

Calculated in kWh - you need to take the wattage of the device, multiply by the number of hours you use it, and divide by 1000.  (Dividing by 1000 changes it from watt-hours to kilowatt-hours.)  

Formula: kWh = Wattage * Hours / 1000

3. Total Annual Energy Consumption (kWh)

Multiply Electricity Consumption (point 2) by 220 cycles to get an estimated annual energy consumption. 

4. Water Efficiency - Water Consumption (Litre/KG) and Annual Water Consumption (Litre)

Water Consumption refers to how much water is used per kg of clothes.

For the same water consumption scale (for e.g. 6ℓ/kg), a 9KG washer will use more water than a 7KG washer. Let's do the maths: 

9KG washer will use 6 × 9 = 54 ℓ of water for a full load wash.

7KG washer will use 6 × 7 = 42 ℓ of water for a full load wash.

For annual water consumption, multiply it by 220 (for 220 cycles)

9KG washer will use 6 × 9 × 220 = 11,880 ℓ of water for 220 cycles

7KG washer will use 6 × 7 ×220 = 9,240 ℓ of water for a 220 cycles. 

FYI, my old Electrolux washer loads 5KG of clothes and that amount of washed clothes fit into the 8 allocated HDB bamboo slots. So you might not need a big washer, unless you are using the dryer to dry the items that cannot fit onto the bamboo slots.

5. Washing Performance Index/Class

This index measures how successful is your washer at removing stain.

The test is based on a 60 °C cycle on fabric samples with stains of oil, blood, chocolate, milk, and red wine, using a standardised detergent and compared against a reference washing machine. 

The scale goes from A to G; where A indicates the best washing performance.

6. Spin Dry Preforming Class - RMC and Spin Speeds (rpm)

The index is based on the remaining moisture content (RMC), which is the mass of water divided by the dry mass of cotton fabrics. It is based on a weighted average of full-load and partial-load cycles.

The scale goes from A to G; where A indicates the best spin dry performance.

Take note that a high spin speed DOES NOT guarantee a good spin dry performance. Compare the few sets below: 

Model	BOSCH WAE20360SG	Miele W3370 EDITION111	SAMSUNG WF8692NEC
Capacity	7 KG	7 KG	7 KG
Max RPM	1000 RPM	1400 RPM	1200 RPM
Spin Preformance Class	C	B	A
RMC	59%	52%	?

7. Check for options to include soak, additional spin and manual drain function.

For me, the soak option allows me to pre-soak my soiled clothes before starting any wash function.

Additional spin is to further dry by clothes by spinning the excess water away.

Manual drain, in case I need to take the clothes out in the middle of a wash.


Please see my next article on a more detailed comparison for different brands of washers!