Efficiency and one-bedroom residences with just one or two people living in them, or even a two-bedroom with a couple and a small child, should be well-suited for a combination machine. Needing only a 110-volt/20-amp circuit with the plumbing requirements of a dishwasher, these unique appliances can be placed in a number of locations, depending on the needs of the resident and the floor plan of the building. Read on for more information on these state of the art wonders.

• What is a combo?
• How does a condensing dryer work?
• What is the market acceptance?
• Where can I install it?
• How much energy does it consume?
• What are effects on building infrastructure?
• What is the Lease/Purchase Plan?
• How will in-unit laundry affect my net income?
• What are the ADA/Fair Housing applications?

What is a combo?
A combo, or combination washer/dryer, is literally a washer and a dryer combined into one appliance. You put dirty clothes in, choose appropriate washing and drying cycles, and take clean, dry clothes out. Thereís no need to come back to transfer your wet clothes from the washer to the dryer.
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How does it work?
All of our combos feature condensing, ventless dryers that require no ductwork or outside venting. Condensing dryers in combination machines use cool water condensers to remove the moisture from the air in the drum. The warm, moist air leaving the drum is circulated through a plastic chamber, where it contacts a mist of cool water. This causes the moisture in the air to condense into water droplets and fall to the bottom of the condensing chamber, where it is pumped to the same drain as the wash water. The warm, dry air continues through the closed system back to the drum to remove more water from your clothes.

This system saves you energy in two ways. Since little heat is lost when the air passes through the condensing chamber, it takes very little energy to raise the temperature back to optimal drying levels. Just as important, no air from the residence is exhausted outdoors. Conventional clothes dryers evacuate 200 cubic feet of heated or conditioned air from the residence every minute, approximately 10,000 cubic feet per cycle. Given an 8-foot ceiling, thatís the size of a room over 35 feet square! All of this air has to be replaced from the outside, which means energy must be expended to either heat or condition it to room temperature. In high-rise buildings with tight envelopes, this places an additional burden on intake manifolds and fans that may already be working close to capacity. Condensing, ventless dryers save you all of these headaches.
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What is the market acceptance?
Combination machines with condensing, ventless dryers have been popular in Europe and Asia for decades. The demand for smaller, more efficient laundry equipment in the United States increases daily as Americans become more energy-conscious. Major developers and management companies like Archstone/Smith and Fairfield have been installing these machines in their communities for several years. Demand will continue to grow as in-unit laundry becomes more of a marketing requirement for upscale communities.
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Where can I install it?
Combos can be installed anyplace with easy access to a 110-volt electrical outlet and a ìwet wallî containing plumbing lines. Popular locations are kitchens (either in place of, or in addition to, a dishwasher), bathrooms, and closets that back up to a bathroom or other wet wall. Being next to an exterior wall to minimize vent runs is no longer a concern: these machines require no ductwork, fire-rated chases, or holes in your building envelope.
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How much energy does it consume?
This will vary, depending on the size of the machine and load; full-sized combos will use more energy than compact, dishwasher-sized machines. Our tests have placed electrical consumption for a compact machine at between 1.3 and 1.7 kilowatt hours per load, including washing and drying. Water usage is even more efficient: combos use less than half as much water, including hot water, than conventional machines. More information on energy efficiency and savings can be found at the federal governmentís EnergyStar web site at www.energystar.gov .
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What are the effects on building infrastructure?
Minimal. All of our combination machines operate on 110-volt/20-amp current, with electrical and plumbing demands very close to those of a dishwasher. Electrical and plumbing risers in many older buildings can already handle this additional load; others may require modifications. The same is true of the panels within individual residences. We recommend using contractors familiar with your property to conduct a survey of its existing capacities to avoid any surprises or complications down the road. We will be happy to work with them on specifications.
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What is the Lease/Purchase Plan?
Installing in-unit laundry in a large community can be a major investment of capital. We offer a lease-to-purchase option through a major national leasing company that allows you to spread the payments over five years, and warrants parts and labor for the term of the lease. Payments begin at under $30 per month per machine; when combined with the increased rent that accompanies the addition of in-unit laundry, you can begin making money right away.
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How will in-unit laundry affect my net income?
Surveys in the metropolitan Washington DC area have shown rent increases of $40-$100 per month with the inclusion of in-unit laundry; condominium values increase from $5,000-$15,000 per unit. Using our Lease/Purchase Plan, your increased earnings can begin right away. Net utility costs may actually go down if you currently have shared laundry facilities. Water costs will stay about the same; even though more loads are likely to be washed, the machines are so efficient that water usage will not increase substantially. Electricity bills may well go down, as you are paying all utilities for a shared facility, and the resident is probably picking up the electric bill for the in-unit machines. Even if you are paying the electrical costs, the efficiency of these machines will keep energy costs down.
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What are the ADA/Fair Housing applications?
Under the Fair Housing Act of 1988, public and common use areas of a building containing multi-family dwellings, such as the laundry room, must be ìaccessible.î This means individuals with physical disabilities must be able to approach, enter, and utilize the public or common use areas of the building. Few central laundry rooms meet this requirement.

"Reasonable accommodation" means you can save the enormous cost of making a central laundry room compliant by installing washer/dryers in individual residences, giving a disabled person full access to laundry facilities. This creates happier residents and saves you the possible aggravation and expense of a lawsuit.

Front-loading machines can be very easily loaded, unloaded, and controlled from a wheelchair. Most machines can be installed on elevated pedestals to make loading and unloading easier. Clothes are loaded and removed when dry, when they are lighter and easier to handle. The combo machineís ability to go directly from washing to drying eliminates the extra trip from the washer to the dryer
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