Additives
One piece of info they are missing is that lower wash temperatures cause people to use more additives such as Oxy Bleach, Chlorine Bleach, scent boosters, or more laundry detergent. That is just as wasteful as using a slightly higher temperature to wash. Not to mention, the number of people that have to rewash clothes due to abysmal performance with new machines. Using exclusively lower washer temperatures also leads to mold, mildew, bacteria, detergent, and fabric softener buildup in the machines. What is the cure for this? Running an empty cycle in the washer that uses hot water, and potentially requires bleach to remove the buildup. What if the consumer is unable to remove the odor or buildup in a satisfactory manner? Some consumers will replace parts (rubber boot, etc.) or discard the machine altogether.
So we should lower energy consumption of these machines more so that it looks good on paper, but in reality, what is going on in the background?