Whirlpool Corporation is including high-efficiency dishwashers for homes built as part of the company’s BuildBetter with Whirlpool initiative with Habitat for Humanity International. The BuildBetter with Whirlpool program is building 250 climate resilient, energy-efficient homes by 2025, with a goal of delivering an almost 15 percent increase in energy efficiency compared to conventional homes.
“Whirlpool Corporation’s 24 years of partnership with Habitat for Humanity International has touched lives around the world,” said Deb O’Connor, director of corporate reputation at Whirlpool Corporation. “Donating dishwashers to the BuildBetter with Whirlpool homes is another opportunity to help Habitat homeowners be more sustainable and save money.”
Started in 2021, Habitat for Humanity’s BuildBetter with Whirlpool initiative has three phases. In the first phase, a total of 58 energy and hazard resilience projects were completed in 20 states. The second phase of the program, currently in progress, will build upon the success of the first phase. Upon completion, there will be 85 energy and hazard resilience projects in 31 states, with 12 in areas where Whirlpool has plant locations. The third phase includes 120 projects in 82 locations. Given the fact that only 68% of American households have a dishwasher¹, including the appliance in BuildBetter with Whirlpool homes serves to underscore the sustainability benefits of a dishwasher.
“Homeowners don’t realize it, but the average dishwasher today uses 50 percent less water than ones made 25 years ago²,” said Beat Stocker, senior director of sustainability at Whirlpool Corporation. “On top of that, a dishwasher is three to four times more water-efficient than hand washing — saving over 2,500 gallons of water per home per year³.”
BuildBetter with Whirlpool homes – both code-plus and renewable energy grants — will measure resiliency through the Home Energy Rating System, or HERS, a nationally recognized energy-use rating scale for residential construction. The lower the number, the less energy used. A typical home in the U.S. is at about 100 or more. The homes in the BuildBetter with Whirlpool program will have a rating of 60 or below, with some going below zero due to on-site power generation and renewable energy systems.
Learn more about how Whirlpool Corporation is supporting communities where it does business here.
1 Based on a 2017 U.S. Energy Information Administration report (https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=31692) 2 An average dishwasher in 1998 used 7.11 gallons/cycle. In 2021, dishwashers used 3.51 gallons/cycle. 3 Based on favorable water and energy use comparison against KitchenAid Model No. KDTM354ESS, which was compared to manual hand washing among 40 study subjects using conditions and assumptions set forth in Gabriela Y Porras et al 2020 Environ. Res. Commun. 2 021004. Assumes 215 cycles/year.