Had I needed just a washing machine the process would have been simple – there appear to be a large number of A rated washing machines on the market. However a search of the internet for “A rated energy efficient washer dryers” did not produce such a fruitful return.

In fact the search facility didn’t really help at all. In the end I have spent many hours going to different sites – either via price comparison sites or direct to manufacturers sites, attempting to find a suitable machine.

However frustratingly it is not as simple as just buying an “A rated” machine. There are in fact a number of different ratings; the wash grade, the energy efficiency grade and the spin/and or drying efficiency grade. In addition energy consumption rates are sometimes included which shows how much electricity is used under standard conditions, measured kWh/cycle for washing and other appliances.

To make matters more complicated what on one site may appear to be an A rated machine did not in fact turn out to be on another site, or an apparently A rated machine did not turn out to be an A energy efficiency machine – but perhaps one aspect of it i.e. a 40 degree wash cycle for example may have been A rated.

In the end, more by trial and error then anything more systematic, I found a washer dryer that is not only A energy rated (on some sites) but also a 7kg wash load (compared to the usual 5kg wash) and a 5kg dryer, compared to the usual 2.5kg capacity. So should I need to use the dryer, as I sometimes do, at least one load will be enough. The machine I have come up with is a Servis M9813

http://www.servisuk.co.uk/Products/washerdryerset.htm

I did look at sites like the Energy Saving Trust site, but was disappointed by the product search page. I am sure there must have been a simpler and quicker way to have found what I needed. Anyone know how? And anyone know of any other AAA rated washer dryers I may wish to consider?

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victoria