Washing clothes by hand has become old school now and almost 5 out of every 10 houses is having a washing machine these days.
And, the latest technology that is being used in the washing machines is the ‘Inverter technology’ and they’re calling it the Inverter Washing Machine.
These inverter washing machines run using a specific technology that considerably saves power.
Inverter Technology can be found in both front-loading washing machines as well as the top-loading washing machines.
Let us now look at what this inverter technology has to do in the washing machines.
What is Inverter Technology in Washing Machines?
Well, to explain you clearly, let us take the example of our car.
We step on the accelerator when we need to accelerate the car, which requires pumping of more fuel to the engine, thus resulting in faster speeds.
Likewise, when we wanted to decrease the car speed, we reduce our pressure on the accelerator.
The similar principle applies in the inverter technology.
Now, in the case of conventional washing machines run at a maximum efficiency irrespective of the load inside the machine. So, the power consumption is the same whether your load is high or low.
Whereas, the washing machine with inverter technology optimizes the efficiency based on the load you put inside the machine. The more load you put, the more power it utilizes and vice versa.
1. How Does the Inverter Technology Work?
The inverter technology has sensors that detect the load you put inside the washing machine.
Based on the load, it determines at what speed should the machine run. Thus, it reduces the electricity consumption to the minimal.
This process requires the use of Brushless motors (VFD – Variable Frequency Drive), which are capable of running at variable speeds depending on the load inside the machine.
2. Inverter Washing Machines vs Conventional Washing Machines
The conventional machines have got a lot of moving parts like the gears and belts along with the motor. So, they normally consume a lot of power due to the friction in addition to a lot of noise.
Whereas, the inverter motors come in bulkier size, but are more efficient when compared with conventional motors. The motor is directly connected to the drum without any belt or pulley.
Since they don’t have many moving parts, you don’t hear much noise. And, since there is no friction, vibration and power consumption is also reduced.
So that brings us to the conclusion that a motor working on inverter technology (Direct Drive Technology) is very efficient than the conventional technology.
3. Smart Inverter Technology
Thanks to the latest Smartphones and smart inverter technology, you can use your smart devices to control these washing machines using apps.
Most of the latest LG washing machines come under this bracket. They are also specifically called ‘Inverter Direct Drive Washing Machines’.
4. Advantages of Using Inverter Washing Machines
There are many advantages of using the washing machines with inverter technology and a few popular ones are –
- They come with brush less motor i.e., the motor is directly connected to the drum without any moving parts. So, there won’t be much vibration or noise.
- They consume less power compared to traditional washing machines since they work on load basis.
- These motors have no movable parts like gears, shafts and belts. Hence, you don’t have to shell out heavily on their maintenance. It is also another reason why the manufacturers are providing extended warranties on such inverter machines.
- They come with the support for Smartphone control via app through bluetooth/WiFi connectivity.
- These machines have longer life spans compared to conventional machines.
5. Which Washing Machine Brands in India are using Inverter Technology?
As of now, only the top brands like IFB, LG, Samsung, Bosch, Whirlpool and Midea are manufacturing the washing machines with Inverter technology.
Though these washing machines are a bit expensive initially, you could recover those costs through the amount you save on your future electricity bills.