Has their been any improvement in washing machines? Less Energy? Less water? 

A manufacturer in the mid west that has developed a radically different washing machine. It is called the Staber System 2000 washer. 

Their washing machine has a top-loading horizontal axis design which means that you can load your clothes as you normally do from the top, however it operates like the old fashion type. It uses less water and therefore causes much less ware and tear on your clothes. 

The substantially improved wash performance is due primarily to the fact that it uses a hexagonal (six sided) shaped clothes basket which is placed in an octagonal (eight sided) shaped water tub. This creates a passive pump between the two containers which pulses the wash water through the clothes load six times per revolution. Existing H-axis washers use a round cylinder inside of a round cylinder orientation. Theirs does not have an agitator to tear at the clothes, but rely only on the dropping of the clothes to do the cleaning with a strong movement of water around the clothes within the basket. 

In talking with the manufacturer he tells us that: "The Staber System 2000 horizontal axis washer tumbles laundry on its side, using up to 66% less water and 75% less detergent, when compared to current model agitator washers. The top-loading, hexagonal tub design powers water through the laundry for consistently cleaner clothes. The electronic drive creates faster spin speeds to remove more water and allow the clothes to dry faster. " 

This washer is more expensive that current models. A typical grid connected home could save over $250 a year on the cost of electricity, hot water and detergent." 

Actually for the "off the grid" user this is a very important new product as all the current washers available take an enormous amount of power and therefore the home owner needs a very large inverter just to do their wash.