You are selecting a new washing machine and have heard that the front loading ma

Question

You are selecting a new washing machine and have heard that the front loading machines use less water, but they are more expensive. A traditional washing machine costs $400 and a front loading costs $800. How many years would you have to own the water efficient machine in order to save money compared with the traditional machine. Assume your family does 5 loads of laundry per week, a traditional machine uses 150 L of water, water-efficient machine uses 75 L of water and that the cost of 1000 L of water is $.40.

Explanation / Answer

family does 5 loads laundry per week

5 loads / week * 52weeks / year

= 260 loads / year

traditional machine uses 150 l of water and water efficient uses 75 litres

water saving = ( 150 - 75 ) = 75 litres

75* 260 = 19500 litres / year

1000 L = $ .40

saving per year = .40 / 1000 * 19500

= $ 7.8 / year

time it takes to own water efficient machine = ( 800 - 400 ) / 7.8

= 51.28

you will have to own water efficient machine for 51.28 years

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse Y
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.