The high-efficiency laundry metering and marketing analysis (THELMA) project: Volume 9 -- Product users, further evaluations. Final report
- Dethman and Associates, Seattle, WA (United States)
- Hagler Bailly Consulting, Inc., Madison, WI (United States)
- SBW Consulting, Inc., Bellevue, WA (United States)
The High-Efficiency Laundry Metering and Marketing Analysis (THELMA) project is developing information to support a market transformation to efficient horizontal-axis (H-axis) washing machines. THELMA was established by EPRI and 28 utilities and other organizations as a Tailored Collaboration program. The research agenda includes lab testing, qualitative and quantitative consumer research, and in-home metering of conventional and H-axis machines. This report presents the data and conclusions from a second phase of in-home metering of H-axis and conventional washers. The study was precipitated by the introduction of a new H-axis washer by a major US appliance manufacturers. Twenty households in Iowa and three households near Seattle, Washington, participated in this study. In Iowa, participants` existing washers and dryers were monitored for six weeks, then prototype models of the H-axis washer were installed. Monitoring then continued for another six weeks. In Washington, the same research design and applied, but participants tested production models of the new washer and each monitoring phase was less then three weeks. Participants were interviewed at regular intervals to track their response to the new type of washer. The field data for the production H-axis washer show average water savings of 19.4 gallons/load; average hot water energy savings of 0.67 kWh/load; and average dryer energy savings of 0.14 kWh/load. These savings are similar to those found in earlier in-home testing of other models of H-axis machines. Given that the Iowa participants were employed by the washer manufacturer, the consumer research findings, while interesting, were not combined with other THELMA market research results.
- Research Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Dethman and Associates, Seattle, WA (United States); Hagler Bailly Consulting, Inc., Madison, WI (United States); SBW Consulting, Inc., Bellevue, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 362624
- Report Number(s):
- EPRI-TR-109147-V9; NC: NONE; TRN: AHC29926%%279
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Aug 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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