In a move that will save consumers over $20 billion on their electricity and water bills, the US Department of Energy announced today new standards for dishwashers and clothes washers.

Developed in conjunction with AHAM, appliance manufacturers and consumer and environmental groups, beginning in 2013 new dishwashers will use 15 percent less energy and 20 percent less water. Beginning in 2015, new clothes washers will offer consumers more efficient choices and save households approximately $350 over the lifetime of the appliance.

AHAM President Joe McGuire said, “DOE’s implementation of these new standards reflects the consensus agreement reached by stakeholders. It will result in tremendous energy savings for the consumer while preserving product choice and minimizing manufacturer impact. The home appliance industry is proud of its long history of energy efficiency advancements benefiting consumers and applauds DOE for working with stakeholders to increase energy efficiency,??

For more than 20 years, there has been a steady increase in the efficiency of home appliances as manufacturers have developed ways for dishwashers and clothes washers to use less electricity and water. For example, in 1991 the average dishwasher consumed 2.67 kilowatts (kWh) per cycle and by 2010 it was only 1.37 kWh/ cycle – that’s nearly a 49% decrease! Also, clothes washers consumed 2.68 kWh/cycle in 1991 and in 2010 it had dropped by 75% to .66 kWh/cycle!

If you’re in the market now for a new appliance, you can search AHAM’s directory of certified clothes washers and dishwashers.  All of the models listed in the directory have been verified for water and energy use.

For more information on DOE’s announcement, click here.

2012 marks AHAM’s 45^th anniversary— and a lot has changed since 1967!  In 45 years, the appliance industry has grown to a $30 billion industry, shipping more than 200 million home appliances per year!   Watch Leading the Way a retrospective on our proud history and how AHAM will lead into the future.

1967 was also the year that the Amana Radarange, the first major introduction of a microwave oven, went on sale for sale for $495, or about $2,000 in today’s dollars. The House Beautiful and Retro Renovation have slideshows of typical American kitchens from the 1960s.  Talk about Memory Lane!

Here are some other 1967 stats thanks to these two web sites (here and here)! 

How much things cost in 1967
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 2.78%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 905
Average Cost of new house $14,250.00
Average Income per year $7,300.00
Average Monthly Rent $125.00
Gas per Gallon 33 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,750.00
Movie Ticket $1.25
The Federal Minimum Wage is increased to $1.40 an hour

Headlines from 1967

• Jimmy Hoffa begins an 8 year prison term for defrauding the union and jury tampering
• The 25th Amendment to the constitution is ratified which deals with succession to the Presidency
• Thurgood Marshall becomes the first black justice on the Supreme Court.
• Muhammad Ali is stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing induction into US army
• President Johnson asks for a 6 percent increase on taxes to support the Vietnam War
• Ten of thousands of Vietnam War protesters march in Washington, D.C.
• World’s First Heart Transplant operation in South Africa by Dr. Christiaan N Barnard
• The Concorde is seen for the first time in public.
• The first ATM ( Automatic Teller Machine ) is put into service in Barclays Bank in London