Whirlpool introduces new energy-efficient washer

James Prichard

Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000 | 2:17 a.m.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. - Whirlpool Corp. is coming out with a high-efficiency washing machine that company executives hope will leave the competition hanging out to dry.

The top-loading machine, to be introduced at a Las Vegas fashion show on Tuesday, features new cleaning technology that not only saves water and electricity but also helps give the unit the largest useable capacity of any consumer machine, Whirlpool officials said.

The washer will be available beginning Sept. 17 at Sears, Roebuck and Co. under the Kenmore Elite brand and will retail for $1,099. A similarly priced version bearing the Whirlpool nameplate will be in other retail stores by late spring, said Felicia Giambalvo, deputy director of the Benton Harbor-based company's Institute of Fabric Science.

"This is a unique washer," she said. "There's nothing like it in the marketplace."

While able to handle bulky items such as comforters and rugs that consumers might otherwise have commercially cleaned, the technology also gives the machine the capability of washing delicate clothing made from silk or cashmere.

Whirlpool calls the new cleaning technology Calypso Wash Motion. In place of a standard agitator rising from the center of the wash tub, the machine uses a device only a few inches tall that resembles an old-fashioned orange-juice squeezer. This space-saving change helps provide the machine with a capacity of 18 pounds.

"We're giving consumers a washer with huge capacity, plus it cleans gently but thoroughly," Giambalvo said.

Instead of turning back and forth like an agitator, the device, which the company calls a "nutate plate," rotates its edges in a wobbly up-and-down motion, much like a spinning coin coming to a stop. Rotation speed varies depending on the type of clothing being washed, creating a wave motion ranging from vigorous to gentle.

Sensors automatically detect the amount of clothing in the wash tub and dispense just enough water so that it mixes with detergent to create a soapy slurry. As the concentrated mixture is repeatedly showered onto the items being washed, a filter traps dirt and particles and flushes them away.

The machine uses 46 percent less water and 65 percent less energy than conventional washers, Giambalvo said. The average load uses about 20 gallons of water instead of the typical 41 gallons.

The new unit provides the efficiency of a front-loading machine with the convenience of a top-loader, the washer style preferred by 80 percent of consumers, she said.

Whirlpool manufactured 53 percent of the 7.5 million washers shipped in the United States in 1999, according to figures from Appliance magazine, an industry publication. Maytag produced 21 percent and General Electric made 15 percent.

The U.S. Department of Energy has been working with Whirlpool and several other washing-machine manufacturers - along with utility companies and environmental groups - to develop energy-efficiency regulations for the manufacture of the next generation of washers.

On May 23, the manufacturers and the other interested parties agreed on a two-tiered set of regulations. The first set would take effect Jan. 1, 2004. The second set would kick in three years later.

Before the end of this year, the Energy Department is expected to adopt the agreement's guidelines, said Gene Foley, director of the major appliance and supplier divisions of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. The lobbying group is based in Washington, DC.

He said the industry will continue to make and implement technical advancements because of the pending regulations.

"The technology will continue to change as a result of this standard," Foley said.