I ended up with a $1K front-load combo (both washer and dryer), that so far is working out well.

It looks to me like there is a middle ground on appliances (refrigerators too) where for a little extra cost you can get efficiency, while staying below the real luxury ('look at me') machines.

I notice that the washer pictured above has that beautiful paint job.  That's a feature that goes with the luxury line, for instance.  My combo is plain white.

Oh, did you notice that Trader Joe's detergent says in fine print that it's suitable for front-loaders?  Works for me (though I'm also working through the year of free detergent that came with my set).

It's people who can spend 1K on a dryer.

Get rid of them...get rid of the problem.

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Cool electronic gear may be emitting too much heat
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-heat4aug04,1,5150 ...

"Microsoft won't say how many are failing or what causes the "red rings of death" that signify a system crash. But design consultants and electronics repairmen say the powerful console's wide temperature swings -- from the supercharged heat of game play to overnight cool -- is causing the solder to crack, fracturing the tiny electrical connections that allow energy to flow between the circuits. Eventually, one or more of the 1,700 components or 500 million transistors overheat and fail.

The desire for more powerful home electronics gear is fueling the rise of heat-spewing gadgets.

The Xbox 360 consumes three times the power that its predecessor does, while Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 console guzzles eight times as much energy as the PS2, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group.

A top-of-the-line cable television box that displays and records high-definition video can consume more energy in a year than a microwave oven or standard 32-inch TV."

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Real life with the Zonbu Mini-PC

from that:

How much power did the Zonbu consume?

I confirmed that I had rolled exactly 5h 0m on the Kill-a-watt time counter, and I looked at the total KWH used. As you might have guessed, since the box runs ~10W, it used a paltry 0.05 KWH of power over the last five wall-clock hours.

John Bailo is a troll - as shown by his constant posting of contentious statements without backing either evidence or even logical support for them - just pure assertion.  Ignore him. He is looking for attention.

I know that the Neptune line of washers had problems, to the point that there as a class-action suit against the company, but I think those issues were maintenance-related, not performance related.

If someone can't get good performance from a front-loading washer, I'd chalk it up to PBKAS (Problem Between Keyboard And Seat).

My bottom freezer machine is pretty darn big and uses only 515 wKh per year -- not trivial for sure, but much less than the big side-by-side hogs, and it is a pleasure to use.  

I would guess that, for many people who try to store fresh local produce in their fridge, the advantage clearly goes to a bottom freezer model that puts the produce where you can see it and grab it quickly.

The 5% Project

While we'd be better off if the nation in general used 515 kWh / yr ... I think 432 kicks all over that.

(I think mine is a 21+ cu ft at around 445 kWh / yr.  I know that I've got a 6 cu ft freezer, and a $14.50/month electric bill.)

Every year in Southern California, they run a series of news stories when the gasoline prices go up. They all say the same thing, only the price is different. They say when gas prices reach XX amount, people will take to public transportation. It doesn't happen. When they started running the stories, the price was $2.00 a gallon. Now its up to $4.00 per gallon being the breaking point. However it won't happen because public transportation in Southern California is terrible and it is terribly inconvenient. No one wants 3-4 hour commutes and 15 hour days.

It can be applied to everything. Appliances, cars, lightbulbs. People won't get smaller refrigerators because its inconvenient. They won't get smaller cars because its inconvenient. And so forth. Though I expect Hybrid sales to take off next year when GM introduces its hybrid SUVs. Not small SUVs but the Tahoe, Escalade and probably even the Hummer.  The hybrid drive will allow them to get 20 miles to the gallon instead of 12. Even Paris Hilton wants one of these new hybrids. Surprised Grist didn't pick up on that.

It isn't the appliances fault. It is the user and always trying to get something for as little as possible. 60 years of spending and disposable breeding isn't going to disappear overnight. There is a lot of work ahead.

That is the way to save energy.  Just do good research and then buy the item that best meets your needs.  There will always be a certain washing machine or whatever that totally sucks, but there are many, many energy efficient appliances, electronics, etc. that are wonderful and save a ton of money and energy.

I have just relaced all of the lights in my house with CFLs & replaced my old refrigerator with a new Kenmore 18.2 cu.ft. that only uses 402 kWh/year!!!  I've reduced my electric bill by 25%!!!

If you're looking for new, energy efficient appliances, there's a small site that gives a bunch of data to help you make a decision.  The pages can load slowly, but it's really helped me, so it was worth the wait...

http://www.MoreEnergySavings.com