CEE has revised the performance specification for its Residential Clothes Washer Initiative. This new, more stringent specifcation will become effective Jan. 1, 2007.

“This is the longest lead time we’ve ever given to manufacturers,” said CEE Residential Program Manager Rebecca Foster. “We’re anticipating that manufacturers will be retooling in advance of the new federal standard. Our new specification will give them additional incentive to manufacture models that meet higher efficiency levels.”

Revised
specification
Effective Jan. 1, 2007

Level	MEF	WF
Tier 1	1.8	7.5
Tier 2	2.0	6.0
Tier 3	2.2	4.5

As of Jan. 1, 2007, the federal minimum standard for residential clothes washers will include a Modified Energy Factor (MEF) of 1.26.

The current federal standard for MEF is 1.04. MEF measures the number of cubic feet of laundry that can be washed and dried with 1 kWh of electricity. CEE’s current specifications include an MEF which ranges from 1.42 (Tier 1) to 1.8 (Tier 3B). MEF levels for the new specification will range from 1.8 to 2.2. In addition, the Water Factor (WF) in CEE’s specification will also become more stringent (see chart above).

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