By Chris Nicholls
SYDNEY: Electrolux has introduced what it claims is the first front loading washing machine with a separate hot water inlet, which gives environmentally friendly consumers a chance to plug in a solar system or similar to help save energy.
Electrolux claims their ‘Sunny’ model, introduced at Italian environmental living show Klimahouse and at this stage only for sale in Italy, allowed those with either solar or methane gas powered hot water systems to save money and energy by plumbing their system into the machine.
The company claimed the method could save up to 40 per cent in energy consumption. If the second hot water tab is not available, the machine heats cold water with the inbuilt heater.
However, Electrolux’s pioneering claims appear to fall down when looking at the competition, as at least one rival has offered such hot and cold water inlet systems in the past. One competitor even said they deleted the option on their machines as it had little merit.