Dishwashers and clothes washers that bear the Energy Star label use a lot less water than older appliances. For example, a full-sized Energy Star-certified clothes washers uses 14 gallons of water per load, compared to the 27 gallons used by a standard machine. That’s 50 percent less water, per load. Wash full loads only, and you’ll save even more water. An Energy Star-qualified dishwasher will save, on average, 1,300 gallons of water over its lifetime. Saving water has a double effect, as it also saves on the energy required to heat that water—so your electric, gas or oil bills will be lower as well. Samsung’s smart-grid ready and Wi-Fi-enabled WF457 front load washer (shown) lets you wirelessly connect to it to check status and start or pause wash cycles. Via a smart phone application, you can monitor cycle selections, remaining time and finishing alerts, as well as remotely start or pause the washer from anywhere in the house.