· Consumer Analysis 

Clothes Washer Workshop 
Clothes Washer 

Consumer Analysis 

July 22, 1999 

U.S. Department of Energy 

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

Office of Codes and Standards 

1000 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20585 
Clothes Washer Consumer Analysis 

Objectives: 

• To determine which clothes washer features consumers value most 

• To estimate how changes in the attributes are likely to affect clothes 

washer purchases 
Clothes Washer Consumer Analysis 

Methodology: 

• Focus Groups - elicit 6 - 8 most important features 

• Conjoint Analysis - rank order the 6 - 8 features to determine their 

utility and estimate elasticity 
Clothes Washer Consumer Analysis 

Focus Groups Methodology: 

• 2 focus groups were held in each of the following regions: 

- Washington, l:?C - San Francisco, CA 

- Madison, WI - Miami, FL 

Dallas, TX 

• 8-12 participants per session (90 participants in total). 

• Participants volunteered features important to them 

• Participants then asked to list 10 most important features from list 

developed by group 
Features from Focus Groups 

Frequency Percentage 

Features in Top 10 out of 90 

Price 75 83o/o 

Capacity 73 81% 

Energy & Water Costs 65 72% 

Load Size Options . 61 68°/o 

Durability 54 60% 

Water Temperature Options 54 60°/o 

Door Placement 38 42% 

Quiet Operation 36 40°/o 

Wash Time 34 38% 

Warranty 33 37% 

Multiple Wash Cycle Options 30 33°/o 

HorizontalN ertical Axis 25 28% 
Clothes Washer Consumer Ana1ysis 

· Conjoint Analysis Methodology: 

• Respondents evaluated tradeoffs between top clothes washer features 

obtained from focus groups 

• Tradeoff data determines the value consumers placed on the clothes 

washer features 

• Total sample of 429 respondents divided across four regions: 

- Washington, DC - San Francisco,. CA 

- Madison, WI - Dallas, TX 
Features Used in Conjoint 

• Price: Retail price of clothes washer ($400, $450, $650) 

• Savings: Annual water and energy savings ($0, $10, $50) 

. • Capacity: Standard or extra large (20 percent greater) 

• Door Placement: Front or top loading 

• Wash Temp: With hot water (cold, warm, hot) or without hot 

water (cold, warm) 

• Load Size: Adjustable or nonadjustable 
Rankings by Demographic Groups 

Would Would Not 

Low Recent Have Tried Consider Consider 

Full Sample Income 65 &older 18-24 yrs old Purchasers Horizontal Purchasing Purchasing 

Axis H-Axis H-Axis .. 

Machine Machine 

Price 26% 30% 22% 31% 22% 26% 26% 25% 

Savings 14% 16% 11% 19% 9% 13% 15% 9% 

Capacity 7% 8% 5% 9% 6% 8% 8% 5% 

Door Placement 11% 10% 13% 11% 11% 9% 8% 20% 

Wash Temp 18% 16% 19% 13% 19% 19% 19% 15% 

Load Size 25% 20% 30% 16% 32% 26% 24% 26% 
Clothes Washer Consumer Analysis 

• Purchase Probabilities: 

• Conjoint results "'(ere used to estimate the probability of 

purchasing a clothes washer based on equipment characteristics 

+ The purchase probabilities were analyzed in two ways: 

- Using price information to estimate market impact of an 

efficiency standard 

- Holding price constant to to assess the impact on consumer 

utility of changes in non-price equipment features 
Purchase Scenarios 

Estimated Probability of Purchase 

Standard Medium High Efficiency High Efficiency Efficiency Efficiency Front Load High Efficiency Sample Group (0% (20% (40% No Hot Water Front Load, 

Constant Price .. improvement) improvement) improvement) 

Full sample 0.59 0.58 0.36 0.21 0.75 

Low Income 0.65 0.63 0.41 0.26 0.78 

Elderly 0.59 0.59 0.39 0.26 0.66 

Young 0.64 0.61 0.29 0.28 0.76 

Recent Purchasers · . 0.55 0.54 0.33 0.17 0.67 

Have Tried H-Axis 0.57 0.56 0.39 0.19 0.78 

Would Consider H-Axis 0.56 0.55 0.42 0.21 0.78 

Would Not Consider Axis 0.67 0.64 0.21 0.23 0.62 

':, 
Conclusions 

• Hot water, load size adjustment, savings, and price most 

important clothes washer features. 

• Price is the most important consideration. 

• Door placement is not as important as other features. 

• Demand for clothes washer more inelastic for current washer 

owners.