The macheine does not have to fill up with water like a traditional top loading macheine. The clothes tumble much like in a dryer. You will use up to 40% less water than a comparable top load machine. They also clean better because of the tumble action, water will pass through the clothes considerably more often than top load machines. Clothes will come out cleaner, and will last longer as there is less wear and tear on them I think most if not all side loaders have an Energy Star rating. The Energy Star label - conferred by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency - indicates that a washing machine uses 35 percent to 50 percent less water and 50 percent less energy than a non-labeled machine. That makes the machine better for the environment and saves you money
They have smaller drums. They can have smaller drums and still wash teh clothes effectively because the sideways tumbling stirs the clothes more, so all the surfaces get washed without having to float the garments.
It tumbles the clothes on top of itself, so you do not need that much water as opposed to a top loader, where the clothes are swimming about
I'm not sure, but I have one and my water bill has gone down. but I hate bending over to get the clothes out.
