Appliances

Green purchasing guidance for appliances (not including food service equipment), including:

Air conditioners
Air purifiers
Clothes washers and dryers
Dehumidifiers
Ventilating fans
Water coolers
Water delivery services
Water heaters

Required specifications

Purchasers must include these specifications, unless not possible:

RCW 19.27A: Energy Related Building Standards established the state’s strong statutory commitment to making public buildings models of energy efficiency, including purchasing products and services that are highly energy-efficient or powered with renewable energy (e.g., solar or wind). EO 20-01: State Efficiency and Environmental Performance (SEEP) further directs state agencies to “dramatically reduce energy use in state-owned facilities.”
Accordingly, appliances including, but not limited to:
- air purifiers
- clothes washers and dryers
- dehumidifiers
- ventilating fans
- water coolers
- water heaters
- must be ENERGY STAR-certified unless unavailable for a specific application
Specific to point-of-use water coolers
- Can have a variety of environmental attributes (e.g., compliance with NSF/ANSI 42/53 health standards, UL listing, ENERGY STAR certification, low daily energy use, use of LED-generated UV or activated oxygen injection technology to prevent the growth of pathogens, and use of climate-friendly refrigerants). Since very few products are likely to have ALL of these attributes, it will be important for the State of Washington to choose which ones it wants to require and which it wants award with a preference. Below is our recommendation based on our market assessment of available products – including those on the ENERGY STAR and NSF lists.
  - Bottle-less
  - Complies with NSF/ANSI 42 and 53 standards
  - UL certification (to prevent electrical shocks to users)
  - Uses LED-generated ultraviolet light or activated oxygen injection technology to provide automatic, ongoing disinfection
  - Has a child safety lock that activates when hot water is dispensed

Preferred specifications

Purchasers should include these specifications, unless not possible:

RCW 70.95M: Mercury Education and Reduction Act, and DES’ Nonmercury-Added Purchasing Preference Policy (POL-DES-70A.230-00) state: “The department of enterprise services must give priority and preference to the purchase of equipment, supplies, and other products that contain no mercury-added compounds or components, unless: (a) There is no economically feasible nonmercury-added alternative that performs a similar function; or (b) the product containing mercury is designed to reduce electricity consumption by at least 40% and there is no nonmercury or lower mercury alternative available that saves the same or a greater amount of electricity as the exempted product. In circumstances where a nonmercury-added product is not available, preference must be given to the purchase of products that contain the least amount of mercury added to the product necessary for the required performance.”
Accordingly, no appliances may contain mercury switches or other components unless there is no economically feasible mercury-free alternative.
RCW 70A.350: the Pollution Prevention for Health People and Puget Sound Act directs Ecology to cyclically identify priority chemicals, priority products and then implement restrictions or reporting through rulemaking or take no action. At this point in time, halogenated flame retardants in the casings of electric and electronic equipment have been identified as a priority chemical-product combination but regulations have not been finalized.bulleted list goes here
RCW 39.26.310 and DES’ Purchasing Preference for Products that Do Not Contain Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) (DES- 310-00) direct state agencies to offer a preference of at least 5% to vendors that bid products (e.g., aerosol lubricants) that contain either (1) no HFCs or (2) HFCs with a relatively low global warming potential (GWP) if HFC-free products are unavailable. It also directs state agencies to purchase products that have been awarded a preference under this law.
Additional desirable environmental and health attributes of appliances include:
- High-efficiency (HE) washing machines
- Appliances that have earned this year's ENERGY STAR Most Efficient label
- Appliances that California's current Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulations
- Appliances that are labeled RoHS Compliant
Specific to point-of-use water coolers
- Can have a variety of environmental attributes (e.g., compliance with NSF/ANSI 42/53 health standards, UL listing, ENERGY STAR certification, low daily energy use, use of LED-generated UV or activated oxygen injection technology to prevent the growth of pathogens, and use of climate-friendly refrigerants). Since very few products are likely to have ALL of these attributes, it will be important for the State of Washington to choose which ones it wants to require and which it wants award with a preference. Below is our recommendation based on our market assessment of available products – including those on the ENERGY STAR and NSF lists.
  - ENERGY STAR certified (5% price preference)
  - <.2 kWh Daily Energy Use (2% price preference)
  - <.8 kWh Daily Energy Use (1% price preference)
  - Refrigerant is free of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and on the EPA’s SNAP Approved Substitute Refrigerants List (5% price preference)

Things to avoid

Purchasers should avoid these specifications whenever possible:

EO 04-01: Persistent Toxic Chemicals directs the state to make available for purchase and use equipment, supplies, and other products that do not contain persistent and bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) chemicals, unless there is no feasible alternative.

Laws, rules, and executive orders

These laws, rules, and executive orders must be included in the contract language:

End of life

Surplus goods that still can be used

Use surplus disposal to get rid of items you no longer need. Keep materials out of landfills and make funds for your agency.

Recycling and disposal

Hazardous waste disposal guidelines and options:

Department of Ecology: Dispose, recycle, or treat dangerous waste
Washington Recycles