What Are the Most Energy Efficient Appliances on the Market?

By Nigel F. Maynard

We wanted to know what the most energy-efficient appliances on the market are, so we asked 20-year-old online kitchen appliance retailer AJ Madison for help.

In general, the average appliance is much more energy and water efficient than, say, 10, 15, or 20 years ago. Manufacturers have worked hard to raise the standard level of performance overall, but some units stand out from the rest.

As we have in the past, we partnered with AJ Madison, an online appliance retailer with luxury showrooms in Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, N.Y. The company claims it launched the first online appliance retail website in 2001. Jessica Petrino, an educator and appliance expert at the company, explains the methodology.

“Our list of 2021 most efficient appliances came from the Energy Star website,” Petrino says. “We used this site because Energy Star-rated products are assessed using the same strict energy efficiency criteria set by the U.S. EPA and the Department of Energy across all brands per category.

“We noticed the Energy Star list is not a perfect representation of the industry’s most efficient products,” Petrino continues. “Over the past year, several brands experienced product shortages. For this reason, there were a few popular eco-friendly brands that we estimate did not submit products for testing; they instead allocated their available inventory to customers in need.”

In creating the company’s list of most efficient products, AJ Madison filtered the featured Energy Star most efficient products to make sure the company list contained current models. “We also accounted for product availability,” Petrino says. “The great thing is you can find energy-efficient appliances for every space and budget. Our goal was to feature a diverse selection of appliances that covered a wide variety of categories, styles, and prices.”

Dacor Transitional DRF36C000SR 36 Inch Freestanding Refrigerator

With an annual energy use 554 kilowatts per year, this four-door fridge has an external ice and water dispenser for fresh, filtered water and a digital inverter that maintains consistent performance with minimal temperature fluctuation, the company says. It also offers two independent evaporators to protect flavor and aroma for fresher tasting food.

Fisher Paykel custom panel 30 inch bottom

Fisher & Paykel Series 9 RS3084WRU1 30 Inch Bottom-Mount Refrigerator

This 30-inch panel-ready integrated refrigerator uses 476 kilowatts per year. Designed to learn how a homeowner lives, it has an ActiveSmart Foodcare technology that tracks how one uses their refrigerator and adjusts the temperature, airflow, and humidity inside to keep food fresher for longer. It adapts to daily use by cooling and defrosting only when needed.

LG LTCS20020S 30 Inch Top Mount Refrigerator

Using 387 kilowatt hours per year, the 20.2-cubic-foot has humidity-controlled crisper drawers that provide an organized storage environment for fruits and vegetables. These drawers will keep them fresher longer, the company says.

Blomberg DWS51502SS 18-inch Dishwasher

This fully integrated built-In dishwasher uses 220 kilowatts hours per year and uses only 2.4 gallons of water per cycle. It has space for eight place settings, offers multiple insulation layers to reduce noise, improve drying performance, and reduce thermal loss during the cycle, the brand says.

Viking 3Series Kitchen CloseUp

Viking VDWU524SS 24 Inch Fully Integrated Dishwasher

This unit uses 225 kilowatt hours per year year and 2.37 gallons of water per cycle. It has a variable pressure wash that adjusts water volume, pressure, and temperature according to load size and soil levels, and the units work intelligently to clean dishes, the manufacturer says. A large capacity unit can hold up to 16 place settings along with silverware and cutlery.

Bosch Benchmark Series HBLP451UC 30-inch Electric Wall Oven with Eco Clean

Though ovens have no Energy Star ratings, this one deserves recognition for being one of the first to have an Eco Clean mode, AJ Madison says. The Eco Clean cycle delivers improved energy efficiency by running for the shortest period possible. The EcoChef mode saves electricity by ending the cycle early. Remaining heat in the oven cavity finishes the cooking process.

GE JVX5305SJSS 30-inch Under Cabinet Range Hood

This Energy Star-rated under cabinet range hood from GE removes smoke, odor, and grease effectively with dishwasher safe filters. Dual LED lighting brightly illuminates the cooktop for better visibility while cooking, the brand says.

Electrolux EFLW427UIW 27-inch Front Load Washer

This front loader uses uses 60 kilowatt hours per year and 4,059 gallons of water. Offering the LuxCare Wash System, the unit can sense the size of the load and adjust water levels and wash times accordingly. This model is the most energy efficient option available today, the company says. It also has options that allow users to wash on a schedule, including a 20-minute fast wash or a delayed start to run the washer during off-peak hours.

Samsung WF45R6100AC 27-inch Front Load Washer

This washing machine is one of the most water-efficient models available, the company says. It uses 95 kilowatt hours per year and 3,807 gallons of water per year. The washer's 4.5-cubic-foot size helps save time by fitting more into each load, and users can select among 10 wash cycles, including bedding, activewear, heavy duty, and quick wash.

Beko HPD24412W 24-inch Dryer

This ventless dryer uses 149 kilowatt hours per year and features the manufacturer’s Ventless Heat Pump Dryer technology that uses a closed-loop heat exchange system to conserve and reuse hot air during the tumble-drying cycles. This leads to up to 50% energy savings over conventional vented dryers. Internal smart sensors allow the homeowners to choose how dry they want their clothes and will stop the dryer when that level of dryness is detected.