US law - Vermont - laundry machine and hot water?

[kmvt]

I live in a 7-unit apartment that has one washing machine and one dryer for the building, coin-op, and is stated in the lease. We've recently discovered due to a new sign on the laundry machine that our landlord has shut off hot water for the machine, and so it only uses cold. When we tenants brought it up with him, he basically replied that he just doesn't think we need it.

I think it's impossible to get a sanitary clean without hot water for undies, whites, etc., so I've been hauling laundry to the laundromat since we found this out. I want to somehow fight my landlord's stance, but I'm not sure if I have any legal backing. Obviously tenants need access to hot water, but I'm not sure if that extends to laundry; however, the washing machine is in the lease.

Any advice? Thanks.