Oct. 16, 2009

Media contact: Sonja Hall, public information officer, (253) 502-8223

Tacoma Power and Tacoma Water customers have the chance to win a new clothes washer or a year’s supply of laundry detergent - all it takes is a filthy photo.

Proud parents of muddy soccer players, owners of record-setting piles of stiff socks and shirts and others who have some literal dirty laundry to air should submit their digital images showing why they need a new high-efficiency clothes washer. Entries will be accepted from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15 at washwiserebate.com. The winner will be announced Dec. 7.

The contest is open to Tacoma Power and Tacoma Water customers and customers of other Puget Sound utilities that participate in the WashWise Clothes Washer Rebate program; the program was created to help Puget Sound residents save energy and water by offering a rebate of up to $100 when they buy a qualifying clothes washer.

Clothes washers are often the second biggest users of water inside people’s homes – at about 22 percent of total use. Standard top-loading clothes washers use an average of 41 gallons of water per load, but an average efficient clothes washer uses 21 or fewer gallons of water per cycle and significantly reduces energy use for hot water. Upgrading to an Energy Star-qualified clothes washer can reduce your related electric use by 30 percent and save you more than $135 a year on your electric bill.

For more information about the contest, please visit KnowYourPower.com.