Personally I think we are going to try to get away from heating water at all. We will never be able to heat it as efficiently as if we just didn't use it. With that said I like the ability to heat wash water it works wonders.
I think we need to take a different approach. While it’s quite possible the standard heating element might be around for decades to come, it’s certainly not the only source of heat in the laundry room. I’ve often wondered why the exhaust heat from the dryer has never been utilized. Never will it maintain sanitizing temperatures for a washer but I think it could keep a proper cold wash cold, a warm load warm, and supplement higher temperature wash loads. True the dryer isn’t always running while the washer is in use, but often it is. A simple exhaust line connection with a three-way valve, basic heat exchanger, data link for washer dryer communications and some intelligent programming would do the trick.
Another idea I had was to design a washer that would remove the air from the drum creating a significant vacuum during the wash cycle. The concept behind this was to remove atmospheric pressure, opening the fibers of the clothing, enhancing cleaning capabilities. With a little more thought I also realized how a lower pressure would reduce the boiling point of the wash water. I’m not sure how significant it would be but I thought it might at least aid in efficiency . I would be interested to know how a washer of these capabilities would perform. It might be lame and do nothing. But these are my ideas.
