If your current washer has been repaired and is working, why replace it now? You've already invested in the repair, I'd suggest continuing to use the machine until it develops another problem. Payback on energy/water savings depends on individual usage characteristics and local utility costs. Payback time at average of four loads per week likely will be longer than you expect, unless your utility costs are very high. Keep in mind that just because a frontloader (or any washer for that matter) has an exceptionally large capacity doesn't mean all your laundry should be bundled together so as to always run the largest load possible. Sorting according to color, soil level, fabric type, and special care items is still important, and even moreso with the newer HE-type low-water and high-spin-speed machines that are less forgiving at mismatching the cycle selection and load type. The wrinkle-prevent (or wrinkle guard, finish guard, wrinkle free, etc.) feature on dryers sometimes lead to misunderstanding of what exactly it does. It's intended for situations in which no one is present to immediately unload the dryer when a cycle ends. What it does is instead of the machine shutting off and sitting there with the clothes crumpled in the drum, it runs an unheated tumble for an additional period of time (either intermittently or continuously) to keep the items moving and fluffed-up. If you normally unload immediately when the cycle ends, the wrinkle-prevent function won't really do much for you.

That's great Jay. There are several who are doing the same! Look at some posts from Hans-Werner, BlueBonsai, and Joshy; they use lights too and at least 2 of them go from seeds to blooms in a similar timeframe. It's pretty amazing! There are quite a few in the group growing from seeds to bloom, totally inside, under lights. I have such a great climate for growing them outside, I take full advantage of it and only grow the young seedlings indoors.

Ask water supplier or plumber to test water for presence of clorine and/or other chemical in public supply. How much water is pumped each cycle? If less than several gallons can you increase size of sump reservoir so pump needs to cycle less? Alarms that detect water on floor are cheap,buy a couple to help with your worry and stress.

It's a matter of preference and there are a lot of factors to consider. Generally, plants can be healthier outside in regard to actual vigor, and in regard to exposure to predators that should keep pests from settling in and becoming an infestation issue that requires some kind of action, but are also at risk of sunburn, weather damage & being eaten by critters that hopefully would never be inside a house. Carrying plants around also puts them at risk of being dropped. The lighter color of carpet, the more likely the dropping, IME. :+) There is no such thing as a plant that naturally comes from inside a structure, so bringing any plant inside at any time of year will have inherent challenges. Whether or not you and your structure can meet them, on a plant-by-plant basis, is the question to ask and answer.