Can I just say, that don't confuse "eco" programs with quick, they aren't and can't be. The energy use is all in the heating of the water, so less water means less money spent BUT it must run longer to be sure to clean properly. The same applies to washing machines. The energy a motor uses in pushing the water around or rotating a drum is next to nothing in comparison to heating an extra 500ml of water.
It seems so long ago that appliances would take a hot water feed than just try to heat it themselves.
But heating water with gas (which is how most of us do it) is significantly cheaper than doing so with electricity. (Even if you have a cheap overnight tariff it's still more per kWh than gas). So maybe having a hot feed isn't as daft as it sounds.
The reason machines followed Miele and more importantly Zanussi was the push to lower water level use in the 80s and the result that by the time actually hot water entered the machine they had almost stopped filling. Couple that with the need for a more accurate temperature requirement and there being no standard hot water temperature meant going cold fill only was the way forward. Also don’t forget that soaking stains or dirty clothes with cold water then raising the water to the required temperature gives better cleaning results and is better for the garment.
Not necessarily.. I m heating cold water in my washing machine or dishwasher when I have about 200 liters of hot water sitting idle in the tank. Though I think appliance will have to figure out a way to manage temperature
That’s why I have never been a fan of stored hot water, every day you pay to heat it up, what you don’t use gets cold then you pay to heat it up again, much more efficient to have the hot water “on demand” (Combi)
We paid 20p a day for gas when we were on holidays at the end of August. I could have switched it off but I forgot.
I moved a couple of years ago and this is the first house I've had a combi boiler. The time it takes for hot water to come through is rather irritating.
Washings machines used to have hot and cold feeds, when the drum would be half full of water even the main wash, but this was predominantly the UK. Europe has had cold fill machines for years as they also had cold wash detergents. The UK consumer and buyer also couldn’t see that cold feed only was better.
It is the main reason I had my combi mounted right next to the sink in the kitchen (new kitchen was designed) for it. I also chose a boiler that has a preheat mode so the HW is almost instantaneous.
My combi is in the loft, so switching preheat on and off based on requirements isn't a practical option.
Stats from my DW app… I run Eco on overnight. But today needed a quick cycle between lunch and dinner so did a ‘Speed 45’ cycle .. it runs for 35 mins. Now I m really wondering what is eco really about
But the data shows otherwise.. 7.5L heated to 50 degrees in a 3.45 hr cycle is using more energy than 10L to 45 degrees in a 35 mins cycleI did explain it
Less water means less energy needed to heat it.
But 25% less water, which will be metered for an 0.05kwh extra leccy. Overall its cheaper and more enviro agreeable
