Because I am ignorant. Why is a 4 hour Eco wash better than a 1 hr wash?

[Unreasonabubble]

I saw a thread tonight about washing machine times and it made me think. I normally do a 1 hour 40 degree wash for most of my washing. Should I be doing an Eco wash which takes 3 times longer? Does it save me money? Does it clean better? I like to wash and go if that makes sense. I do not understand why I would clog up the washing machine for hours and hours. I would not be able to get all my washing done in a day if that was the case.

Genuinely unaware here so would appreciate your guidance.

That comment about NZ might be a bit misleading about the low fixed charge tarrif. It is being phased out over 5 years and for some people it wasn't a good deal anyway. It meant that you had a very low fixed maximum tarrif but paid higher rates for the energy you did use. So it is currently $0.30 a day and it will go up 30 cents per day for each year so from 1 April 2022 it will go to 60 cents and so on until it is totally phased out on 1 April 2027. There may also be some help for low income households who are impacted. So for the 2022 year it will mean an annual cost of $219 overall for a year as opposed to $109.

I think most New Zealanders apart from their loyalty to the top loader also do cold water washes for most things. We might use warm or hot if something was particularly dirty.

I use the echo setting for every wash

@RJnomore1

Do your clothes not all stink at 20/30/40 degrees or are we just particularly sweaty?

My DH cycles as a hobby. I do one wash a week of sports clothing. I found that adding a couple of cap fulls of antibacterial laundry cleanser (supermarket own brand) in the conditioner drawer is the best way to get rid of the sweat smell.

@RavingAnnie

There's nothing in my house insurance about leaving washing machine's unattended. Thankfully as I have ADHD and there's no way I'd ever get any washing done if I had to plan it around it only being on when I am in the house.

We have economy 7 electricity so make the most of it by running washing machine, dishwasher and tumble dryer overnight and have done for 30 years. The kitchen door is shut and there are working smoke alarms in the kitchen, hall and on the landing. I don't think running appliances at night is as risky as having lit candles in the house.

I use my 3.5 hour wash on a timer for early morning, when I get up it's usually about half way through and silent, it just soaks for ages!

@Goldenharp

The government have tried to appease people by saying the costs will even themselves out which is incorrect. For incredibly low users, like us, our bills are increasing ( by 25% if we had stayed with Nova) they have increased the KWH charges for good measure at the same time.

Megan Woods is under a fair amount of criticism about not restricting the KWH charges for low users. It was a very good deal, it isn’t from April and will get worse year upon year.. while higher users retain the same deal.
It wasn’t that long ago there were news items exhorting people to conserve power because they weren’t producing enough in winter.

So not misleading and accurate for those of us who have insulated homes, pay extra for appliances that don’t consume huge amounts of power. Nova are doubling the daily charge and increasing the KWH charge from April ( just as they posted massive profits, like the other power companies). As an environmental and social policy it is going to hit small, poor households ( particularly the elderly) and the subsidies talked about are unlikely to even touch the sides. It is a surprising position from a Labour government, more akin to the 1980’s, UK Tory policy….

My DH has a degenerative disease and we need hotter 60 degree washes and from next week they will be impacting the environment far more than they were …. Makes no sense…. And I do feel rotten about it but being financially penalised for careful management, being a low user and not having a large energy hungry household sticks in the throat somewhat….

I've been really paying attention to the energy we use in the house over the last few months as I knew the price rises were coming. (2 loads most day, dogs, primary aged child and loads of muddy sports gear!)

Since I started using the eco settings on both the dishwasher and the washing machine, both take 3.45.. my energy use has reduced by £45 a month!
I take readings every month so its accurate. Took a bit of changing my habits but worth it for those savings!