Comment by compounding_it
4 hours ago
Newer stuff is more efficient. For example washers and dryers have a direct drive technology with gears that help it use less power and maybe even less water.
4 hours ago
Newer stuff is more efficient. For example washers and dryers have a direct drive technology with gears that help it use less power and maybe even less water.
The energy saved by a new washer or dryer vs an older one is dwarfed by the energy needed to make the new washer or dryer.
FWIW, the same applies to most building replacements. Yes, the newer buildings use less energy, but the savings doesn't pay for the cost of replacing an old one.
I don't think efficiency matters at all for washers, as they are a rounding error in terms of water usage. Most water is for agriculture, not domestic consumption.[1] The main issues for appliances are reliability and ease of repair. Newer machines have more electronics and software, making them worse in both respects.
1. https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/05/11/california-water-you-d...
As a resident of rural New Mexico, and board member of our local village water association, I'ev thought about and spoken about this issue a lot. Most of the time, I'm saying the same as you.
However ... when you move from the biggest picture view (in this case either state or regional water use patterns) and instead focus on a smaller, local one (e.g. the well(s) that tap into a single aquifer for all the 250 people who live here), a different story emerges.
The story: the low-water appliances may make no difference at the state/regional level, but they may keep our aquifer within its normal range during a 23 year and counting drought. That is, while our residential water usage is swamped by the ranches down the road growing alfalfa for their animals, it is still relevant to the state of our aquifer, and reducing that usage by 30-50% (as has been the case over the last 30 years or so) may play a significant role in not overdrawing the aquifer.