Greener Clothes Washers

WASHINGTON, DC, March 17, 2008 (ENS) - Next year, clothes washers that are much more efficient than current appliances will be coming on the market. The new washers will have to use less water than those now on sale, and they also must be more energy efficient.

As of July 1, 2009, manufacturers will have to make their washers meet a higher standard if they want to qualify the appliances to carry the government's Energy Star® label.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formed in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based program that seeks to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency.

"The Energy Star program provides consumers with greater options for purchasing energy efficient products to save money and energy," said Andy Karsner, the Energy Department's assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy

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