Compact or mini clothes washers are popular with people living in apartments, cabins and other dwellings that have limited space. In addition to saving space, mini washers are economical to run because they use less energy and water than their full-size counterparts. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star program classifies washers with less than 2.5 cubic feet of capacity as small units.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an average 2.1-cubic-foot small clothes washer designed for maximum efficiency uses an average 8.35 gallons of water per full wash load or 3,274 gallons per year. The consumption figures are based on what the Department of Energy says is an average use of 392 wash loads per year or about 7.5 loads per week.
By comparison, an average 4-cubic-foot, energy-efficient large washing machine uses an average 11.75 gallons of water per full wash load or 4,606 gallons per year, again based on an average 392 wash loads per year. However, a mini-washer uses proportionately more water per cubic foot of capacity. When doing full loads, a mini-washer uses an average 3.96 gallons per cubic foot, whereas a standard large washer uses 2.93 gallons per cubic foot.