Appliance replacement statistics measure several different things: discarded material, the age of installed equipment, shipments, household spending and modeled savings. The figures below focus primarily on the United States and keep those definitions separate, because an old appliance is a replacement opportunity, not proof that a replacement occurred.
Key Appliance Replacement Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In 2018, 5.25 million U.S. tons of major-appliance material entered municipal solid waste flows in the United States.
- In 2018, 3.14 million U.S. tons of major-appliance material was recycled in the United States.
- In 2018, 2.11 million U.S. tons of major-appliance material was landfilled in the United States.
- From 1960 to 2018, U.S. major-appliance waste generation rose from 1.63 million to 5.25 million tons.
- In 2018, major appliances represented 1.8% of total U.S. municipal solid-waste generation by weight.
- In 2018, 75.9% of U.S. small-appliance waste was landfilled by weight.
- In the ENERGY STAR age-stock dataset published in 2025, 25.3 million U.S. clothes washers were at least 10 years old.
- In the same dataset, 19.4 million U.S. dishwashers were at least 10 years old.
- In the same dataset, 6.1 million U.S. window/wall air conditioners were at least 10 years old.
- DOE projects that updated U.S. clothes-washer standards will save 0.7 quadrillion Btu over 30 years of shipments.
- DOE projects that updated U.S. clothes-dryer standards will save 2.7 quadrillion Btu over 30 years of shipments.
- In a 2023 dishwasher comparison, an ENERGY STAR model used 240 kWh per year, compared with 307 kWh for the less-efficient comparison.
- In the same dishwasher scenario, the ENERGY STAR model used 688 gallons of water per year, compared with 1,075 gallons for the less-efficient model.
- The modeled 15.2-year combined utility cost was $294 for the ENERGY STAR dishwasher and $389 for the less-efficient comparison.
- Average U.S. household-furnishings-and-equipment spending was $2,414 per consumer unit in 2024, down 3.7% from 2023.
- DOE reported that a typical new refrigerator used one-third the energy of a 1973 model while providing 20% more storage capacity.
- DOE reported that new clothes washers used 70% less energy than the 1990 comparison baseline.
- A 2023 North American appliance-industry presentation described a roughly 10-year replacement cycle.
- The same presentation showed about 60 million appliance units shipped in North America in 2023.
- In the presentation’s 2024 expectations, recurring like-for-like demand represented about 75% of the InSinkErator business.
Contents
- Major-appliance replacement and end-of-life statistics
- U.S. appliance replacement and disposal trends
- Appliance age data for replacement planning
- Energy and water savings from replacement
- Appliance replacement costs and lifecycle economics
- Industry replacement demand and installed bases
Major-Appliance Replacement and End-of-Life Statistics
EPA’s major-appliance category is a municipal-solid-waste flow measure, not a household transaction count. Its 2018 estimate covers material generation, recycling and landfilling, while the long-run series extends from 1960 through 2018.
| Measure | Earlier point | Later point |
|---|---|---|
| Major-appliance generation | 1.63 million tons in 1960 | 5.25 million tons in 2018 |
| Major-appliance recycling | 0.01 million tons in 1960 | 3.14 million tons in 2018 |
| Major-appliance landfilling | 1.62 million tons in 1960 | 1.19 million tons in 2005 |
The later landfill figure changed after 2005: EPA estimated 2.11 million tons of major-appliance material landfilled in 2018. The landfill and recycling measures describe material pathways and should not be read as one-for-one replacement rates.
EPA also estimated 3.1 million tons of ferrous-metal recovery from shredded major appliances in 2018. That figure comes from a Steel Recycling Institute survey and represents ferrous recovery, not total appliance recycling.
Source: EPA, Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data.
U.S. Appliance Replacement and Disposal Trends
Major appliances accounted for 1.8% of total U.S. municipal solid-waste generation in 2018 by weight. EPA’s estimate therefore shows the material scale of the category, but not how many refrigerators, washers or other units reached end of life.
Small appliances are measured separately from major appliances. EPA estimated 2.2 million tons of small-appliance waste in 2018, including products such as toasters, hair dryers and electric coffee pots.
| 2018 U.S. small-appliance flow | Share by weight |
|---|---|
| Recycled | 5.6% |
| Combustion with energy recovery | 18.5% |
| Landfilled | 75.9% |
The 5.6% recycling estimate is by weight, not a consumer participation rate. The 75.9% landfill estimate is likewise a material-flow share, so it cannot be converted into the percentage of households that replaced an appliance.
The broader durable-goods category helps put appliances in context. In 2018, durable goods generated 57.1 million tons, representing 19.5% of total U.S. municipal solid waste; 10.57 million tons were recycled, 37.41 million tons were landfilled and 9.12 million tons went to combustion with energy recovery.
Across the broader category, generation increased from 9.92 million tons in 1960 to 57.10 million tons in 2018, while landfilling increased from 9.57 million to 37.41 million tons. Because durable goods include furniture, electronics, tires and other products, these figures are context rather than appliance-only replacement statistics.
Source: EPA, Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data.
Appliance Age Data for Replacement Planning
Age-stock estimates show how many units may be approaching replacement consideration. They do not mean every unit is broken, inefficient, or replaced during the publication period.
| Appliance stock, age distribution published 2025 | 10–14 years | 15–19 years | 20 years or more | At least 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clothes washers | 16.1 million | 5.6 million | 3.6 million | 25.3 million |
| Dishwashers | 11.3 million | 4.0 million | 4.1 million | 19.4 million |
| Window/wall air conditioners | 3.4 million | 1.0 million | 1.7 million | 6.1 million |
The air-conditioner figures cover window/wall units only and exclude central air conditioners. The washer and dishwasher totals describe estimated installed stock by age, making them useful for replacement planning but not equivalent to observed replacement volume.
Source: ENERGY STAR, Consumer Messaging.
Energy and Water Savings from Appliance Replacement
Efficiency comparisons combine measured historical comparisons, modeled standards forecasts and scenario-based lifecycle estimates. Those measurement types answer different questions: past technology comparisons describe product change, while forecasts describe expected results from future shipments.
DOE projects that updated residential clothes-washer standards will save 0.7 quadrillion Btu over 30 years of shipments after compliance. The modeled result is a 3% energy saving versus products currently on the market, nearly $18 billion in consumer savings and nearly 14.0 million metric tons of cumulative CO2 reductions.
For residential clothes dryers, DOE projects 2.7 quadrillion Btu of savings over 30 years of shipments. The forecast represents an 11% energy saving versus products currently on the market, more than $21 billion in consumer savings and nearly 57 million metric tons of cumulative CO2 reductions.
Source: DOE, Finalizes Efficiency Standards for Residential Clothes Washers and Clothes Dryers.
The DOE/FEMP dishwasher comparison uses a specified 2023 scenario rather than a national average. It assumes 215 cycles per year and compares an ENERGY STAR model, a less-efficient model and the best available model.
| Dishwasher comparison | Annual energy | Annual water | Modeled lifetime utility cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best available | 200 kWh | Not specified | $252 |
| ENERGY STAR | 240 kWh | 688 gallons | $294 |
| Less efficient | 307 kWh | 1,075 gallons | $389 |
The dishwasher costs are discounted lifecycle estimates over a modeled 15.2-year product life, using assumed federal-facility energy and water prices. The best-available water figure is not supplied in the comparison, so it is not inferred here.
Source: DOE/FEMP, Purchasing Energy-Efficient Residential Dishwashers.
Appliance Replacement Costs and Lifecycle Economics
National household spending data do not isolate replacement purchases. The BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey reported average U.S. consumer-unit expenditures of $78,535 in 2024, up 1.8% from 2023.
Average spending on household furnishings and equipment was $2,414 per consumer unit in 2024, down 3.7% from 2023. That category is broader than appliances, while housekeeping-supplies spending averaged $877, up 7.2%, and housing represented 33.4% of total consumer-unit spending.
These measures provide spending context, not an appliance replacement budget. They are nominal survey estimates and should not be treated as the average price paid for a replacement refrigerator, washer, dishwasher or air conditioner.
Source: BLS, Consumer expenditures in 2024.
DOE’s appliance-standards summary provides longer-run efficiency context. It estimated that standards implemented since 1987 had saved consumers $55 billion on utility bills through 2013, and estimated that a typical household saved about $225 per year from appliance and equipment efficiency gains in its 2014 summary.
The same DOE summary reported that a typical new refrigerator used one-third the energy of a 1973 model while offering 20% more storage capacity. It also reported that new clothes washers used 70% less energy than the 1990 comparison baseline and new dishwashers used more than 40% less energy than that baseline.
These are program-level or historical technology comparisons, not savings measured from a single household’s replacement event.
Source: DOE, Saving Energy and Money with Appliance and Equipment Standards.
Industry Replacement Demand and Installed-Basis Signals
Industry presentations offer market signals, but their measures should be labeled as company-reported estimates rather than national replacement counts. A 2023 SEC-filed appliance-industry presentation described a roughly 10-year replacement cycle and showed about 60 million appliance units shipped in North America in 2023.
The same presentation characterized discretionary demand as about 25% of total industry demand and reported a company North American market share of about 33% for 2023–2024. The remaining demand is not automatically identical to replacement demand, because the graphic does not define every demand component as a completed replacement.
For InSinkErator, the presentation reported a U.S. installed base of more than 60 million residential food-waste disposals. It also reported approximately $575 million in 2024 sales and a 6–8% year-over-year growth expectation.
| InSinkErator presentation measure | Reported figure | Period or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring like-for-like demand | About 75% of business | 2024 expectations |
| U.S. food-waste-disposal market share | 65–70% | 2024 expectations |
| U.S. installed base | More than 60 million units | 2024 expectations |
| Sales | Approximately $575 million | 2024 expectations |
The recurring-demand share is a company-reported business mix and is not directly equivalent to completed replacement transactions. The installed base and market-share measures apply to one product segment, not to all U.S. appliances.
Source: SEC, EX-99.1 Investor presentation filed with the SEC.