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Optional Water Efficiency Measure: May contribute to the 30 percent water efficiency requirement,
depending on the chosen WaterSense® Approved Certification Method (WACM),

UNDERSTAND
WaterSense recommends that clothes washers,
including those in common-use laundry rooms of
multifamily buildings, be ENERGY STAR® certified.
These models have an integrated water factor (!WF) of
less than or equal to 4.3 gallons of water per cycle per
cubic foot capacity.
Different criteria can apply to residential clothes
washers depending on their capacity and whether they
are front-loading or top-loading washers.
ENERGY STAR uses thresholds for integrated modified
energy factor (IMEF) and IWF as criteria,
o IMEF is the energy performance metric. A higher
IMEF is indicative of a more energy-efficient
clothes washer,
o IWF is the water performance metric. It allows the
comparison of clothes washer water consumption
independent of clothes washer capacity. A lower
IWF is indicative of a more water-efficient model.
Front-load washers generally offer greater opportunity
to reduce water consumption.
Common-use areas in multifamily buildings might
have commercial clothes washers, which have
different criteria for earning the ENERGY STAR
certification, but still improve water efficiency.
BUILD
• SPECIFY ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers and
dryers and confirm that they have been labeled by
using ENERGY STAR Product Finder at
www.energystar.gov/productfinder/.
VERIFY
Front-Load or Top-Load: What's the
Difference?
Both types of clothes washers can be
effective and save water.
•	Front-loaders tumble clothes through a
small amount of water instead of rubbing
clothes against an agitator in a full tub.
•	Modern top-loader impeller washers have
a low-profile cone or disc, rather than an
agitator. Impeller washers are more
energy- and water-efficient compared to
agitator washers.
ENERGY STAR certified front-load washers
are about 25 percent more energy- and water-
efficient than top-load impeller washers.
However, both designs dramatically reduce
the amount of hot water used in the wash
cycle and the energy needed to heat that
water. ENERGY STAR certified clothes
washers also leave less moisture in the
clothes, which means less time and energy
required for drying.

ENERGY STAR
Learn More
Check out the ENERGY STAR
Clothes Washers web page at
www, e n e rgvsta r. gov/ p rod u ct
s/clothes washers for more
information.
• VERIFY the appliance's make, model, capacity, and IWF through either of the following:
o Refer to the product specification sheet,
o Search the ENERGY STAR Product Finder.
*NOTE: Consult with the Home Certification Organization for specific verification protocol.
This technical fact sheet is part of EPA's Technical Reference Manual for
WaterSense Labeled Homes. For the full document and other tools and	EPA-832-F-23-016
resources for homes, visit www.epa.gov/watersense/tools-and-resources.	July 2023

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