September 1994

It’s a Small World In Baltimore, MD, a working model house called Future Home is specifically designed for people with disabilities. Inside this home is a combination washer-dryer —  a common appliance in Europe.

Donated by the Equator Corporation of Houston, TX, the new washer-dryer replaces a larger front-loading washer and separate dryer from a major European manu- facturer. Equator’s Ron Combs, vice president of market- ing, sais the company has been marketing the units in the L.S, for nearly a year.

While the initial going was slow. interest in the unit has picked up, especially among apartment dwellers, senior citizens, and the disabled community. One of the most important benefits of the EZ 1000 is the small space it takes up.

It measures 33-in high, 23 I/2-in wide, and 20 I/2-in deep, approximately the size of most dishwasher. It has a slightly smaller capacity than a regular washer. and the electricity used is 110 V. The appliance can be plugged into a standard electrical socket with 16 A capacity. Heat is generated by means of 1,500-V heaters, with a choice of 750-W half heat for Delicates.

If a project called Future Home is displaying a combination washer and dryer, can that suggest that homes of the future will have laundry appliances that are distant cousins of the appliances currently found in today’s households! Those future appliances mar look more like first-cousins than distant relatives to current models, but the technology may differ greatly.