The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted Ecova to conduct laboratory testing of the 2013 Environmental Protection Agency Emerging Technology Awardee for clothes dryers. The purpose was to determine if the dryer's success meeting the Emerging Technology specification would translate into success with the recent Energy Star specification, and how the dryer would perform when drying heavier weight test cloths more similar to "real world" conditions. The results show that as currently configured, the clothes dryer would not result in significant energy savings unless run times were extended well beyond typical consumer expectations. This does not invalidate the Emerging Technology award status but does raise the question if utilities should use this first efficient US dryer as a basis for incentive programs.
