There was inaction about this thus manufacturers such as Bosch who sell DW that heat from cold water will Sell DW to the USA that require the consumer to provide 120F incoming hot water so that they stay competitive in the USA market, even though the consumer may, or may not be saving anything. Bunkum. Jerrod, you're either using misinformation to peddle your La-Perla again or just willfully refusing to be informed. Bosch DWs are sensor driven. They don't "REQUIRE" the feed water to be 120degF, they will take it (and perhaps even recommend it - I'll get back to this later). I've had my machine connected to the cold water supply and it handled it with NO DIFFERENCE in operation - either in washing or in drying - than when I had it connected to hot. We've had the hot water set VERY HOT (130defF at the taps - plumber bozocity) and it did fine. It is now set to a much more temperate 115degF and it is fine. These machines are sensor operated and use sensor feedback to accommodate variations in supply conditions. I don't know how many more ways to tell you that the bloody machines work just dandy with or without a hot water connection - they just take a longer time getting on with it if they have to take a cold water feed in the middle of winter. So the "stay competitive" claim is just rubbish. Or your usual white-wash job. As for the hot water supply - I don't think it is a bad thing at all. Like you, who have your machine connected to the hot water line, with a hot water connection the machine is simply able to get a "warm start" if the feed water is already hot. Many times people will want to run their machines (quiet ones) at the end of the day after a busy period of activity when taps have been running and there is hot water in the tank and hot water in the pipes. What makes you think it is more virtuous to forgo that already hot water and start from scratch heating a cold feed with water? Why does it offend your delicate sense of fair play that a already heated water may be used when there may be some in the house as opposed to heating YET another pot of cold water? The machine does NOT dribble away cold water until it gets a hot supply, so contrary to your claims in your first paragraph, it isn't wasting water either. There is a point in what you write but typically, you've missed it. The problem isn't the machines, it isn't in the features that are to be considered, it is in the standardization of the way the tests are conducted, for these energy labels. This can be simply set but your representation of the issues that manufacturers have balked at is just plain, flat WRONG. That in and of itself isn't surprising because testing standards, protocols and definitions are frequently bungled - even in such critical agencies as the FAA - so its hardly surprising that home appliance agencies are getting wrapped around the axel but that's the root of the problem; not Bosch getting their panties in a twist about 120degF and whatnot. Lastly, again, I don't know what you're talking about re: nobody but Miele and FP wanting to claim water consumption efficiency. MANY, MANY machines have claimed and have been pushed on JD Powers', Green building, Dwell, etc. sites as being low water consumers and that being a good thing. Which brand is most water efficient, I don't know; nor do I recall which ones actually were as they claimed BUT believe it or not, a lot of machines are claiming water efficiency and a lot of people are buying because of it.

Hi All. Live in eastern Ontario and just got installed a Greenspeed 25VNA048 heat pump w a 59MN7080 gas furnace to stop paying for oil. It was a learning curve for this system as it is an advanced heat pump system - expect the competition to ramp up their pumps HSPF to 13 also or lose the market. My coldest night so far was -15C and we got our 21C/70F indoor temp in our 2800 sq.ft house.My balance point is set for -17C/1F and I should be getting to -18C this wed/Thurs evening for a real test for the normal switch to gas furnace. Yes the system by default uses gas heat on defrost. Without it it would be blasting cold air in the ducts for 5 minutes. So the gas frnace heat modulates at 65% so to neutralize the cold air so air temp swings are minimum for comfort. Yes you can disable this on the touch screen interface in service/ setup/ heat source lockouts. Yes one can monitor electrical costs in $$$ or Kw and gas $$$ or therms on a per day/ per month and per year to date on the interface. I've experimented between the different options in choosing efficiency or comfort and there is a noticeable difference to the environment and a slight increase in costs of electricity between the two. I do prefer comfort. On an average cold day 0C/32F w -5C at night it costs me @ $5 per day in electricity and with heat on defrost w/ continuous low fan for only an additional cost of $1 every third day (.33cents per day). (yes the different areas of kw usage is separated in the readout) The only puzzle I have to resolve is last Saturday nite at 3 am the house felt cold - it was 15 F outside. Gas furnace came on for a couple of hours before pump came back ???. No codes or resetable fault codes registered on interface. The only way for the gas to go on at that temp way above the balance point is a 2 degree drop or a manual increase of temp of 2 degrees or more. So why did did happen.... stay tuned.... Gotta love saving money. Last year in October it cost me $425 in oil - this year for Oct gas+electrical $202 Included is a pic Update Jan 2014: had issues w furnace overiding heatpump prematurely and Carrier change my thermostat which had Version 9 to version 10 software - issue fixed. those who want to see what savings a heat pump can have over your specific system try this: http://sagoro.wrightsoft.com/Carrier/Default.aspx This post was edited by Cocobob on Mon, Jan 13, 14 at 23:22

"@snidely, during the heating months, how many hours is the heater on? I can say that my average usage per day is probably 1.5-2hours. Which leads me to think the usage is excessive." Yes, maybe 1 - 3 hours of actual running per day depending on the weather. Less on weekdays, more on weekends and when entertaining. Most Bay Area houses, other than new and carefully constructed ones. aren't particularly airtight nor well insulated. Older ones can be very wasteful to heat. The good news is that it doesn't get too cold. I've been here a long while and have concluded than other than being sure a good job is done when repair or replacement of equipment is needed, it's a waste of good thinking time to worry about trying to get significantly more efficient. The payback period for any major retrofits is very long. If you have double paned windows and check for big air leaks (like in ductwork), there's little else to do that'll show you any payback besides turning down the temp setting on your thermostat. THAT can make a noticeable difference.

I'm not sure if the OP's washer is TL or FL. either way since they are asking and its the dryer thats the problem I would not buy a whole new set if the dryer can be repaired for $50.00 That seems like an affordable repair. The government does not give dryers an energy star rating because they all use close to the same amount of power or gas to dry clothes. Washers are a different thing. A front load washer will use 10 to 15 gallons give or take per load. Top load washers can use 40 or 50 gallons to wash the same amount of clothes. Also a front loader will spin out more water due to the higher spin speeds than a top load so your clothes may dry faster.I would buy a new set if the washer were failing and the repair was not economic to do on it due to its age or if you feel for the environment its the right thing to do. you could also buy a new dryer if needed and get the washer later if that's all you needed or could afford, an so what if they don't match most people who come to your house don't see them any way. I made the switch to front load 3 years ago when my washer was going to cost almost as much to pay GE the labor to replace an in warranty part as the the washer cost new. I told GE to shove it and got my front loader and I'm glad I did.