What It CostsWhat does a washing machine cost to run?
Washing machine running cost
$0.12 a cycle ≈ $30.94 a year
At 5 cycles a week that is $0.60 a week and $2.58 a month.
- Electricity a year
- 182 kWh
- Cycles a year
- 260
- Cost a year
- $30.94
Temperature is the variable. A 30 °C wash is around 0.7 kWh; the same load at 60 °C is about 1.4 kWh — double, for the same drum turning the same number of times.
One thing off the bill each month
MonthlyOne appliance a month worth measuring or changing, and what it does to the yearly total. No tariff pitches, no prices — the numbers that stay true.
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How much does it cost to run a washing machine?
A 30 °C cycle at 0.7 kWh costs about $0.12 at $0.17 per kWh — £0.18 at £0.25, €0.25 at €0.35. Five loads a week is $31 a year, £46, or €64.
Nearly all of that is heating the water. The motor turning a full drum for an hour uses a few hundred watt-hours; raising twenty litres of water from cold to 60 °C uses more than a kilowatt- hour on its own. Which is why the temperature dial moves the bill and the spin speed, the programme length and the brand mostly do not.
Dropping from 60 °C to 30 °C roughly halves the energy for the same load. Modern detergents are formulated for cold water and ordinary laundry comes out the same; the exceptions worth keeping hot are towels, bedding after illness and heavily soiled workwear.
One thing worth spending energy on: a faster spin. It costs a little more in the wash and removes noticeably more water, which shortens the tumble dryer cycle — and the dryer is the expensive machine.
One dial explains almost the whole table. Five loads a week for a year:
| Programme | kWh a cycle | kWh a year | At $0.17 | At £0.25 | At €0.35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold / 20 °C | 0.4 | 104 | $18 | £26 | €36 |
| 30 °C cotton | 0.7 | 182 | $31 | £46 | €64 |
| 40 °C cotton | 1.1 | 286 | $49 | £72 | €100 |
| 60 °C cotton | 1.4 | 364 | $62 | £91 | €127 |
| 90 °C boil wash | 2.2 | 572 | $97 | £143 | €200 |
Compare the top and bottom rows: the same clothes, the same machine, five times the bill. And then compare the whole table with a single tumble dryer row — drying costs more than washing, whatever temperature you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Does washing at 30 degrees really save money?
Yes, and it is the largest single saving in the laundry room after not using the dryer. A 30 °C cycle uses roughly half the electricity of a 60 °C one because heating the water is most of the energy. Across five loads a week that is around 180 kWh a year — $31, £46 or €64 depending on where you live.
How many kWh does a washing machine use per cycle?
About 0.7 kWh for a 30 °C cotton cycle in a modern machine, 1.0 to 1.2 at 40 °C, and 1.4 to 2.2 at 60 °C. Eco programmes use less by washing longer at a lower temperature. Your machine’s energy label gives its own figure, which is the one to type in.
Is an eco programme cheaper even though it takes longer?
Yes. Eco cycles reach a lower peak temperature and keep the load moving for longer, and time is nearly free while heat is not. The trade-off is that a two-and-a-half hour wash is inconvenient, not that it costs more.
Does a half load cost half as much?
No — closer to two thirds. The machine still heats water, still turns the drum and still runs a full programme. Two half loads are therefore appreciably more expensive than one full one, which is the practical argument for waiting until the basket is full.
Does the spin speed matter for the bill?
Slightly negatively at the washer and strongly positively at the dryer. A faster spin uses a little more electricity and leaves much less water in the clothes, cutting the dryer cycle. If you use a dryer at all, spin as fast as the fabric allows.
What about the water and detergent?
Not counted here — this is electricity only. Water costs vary enormously by region and are billed separately or not at all depending on where you live, and detergent is a supermarket decision rather than an energy one. If your water is metered, add it separately; it is usually a fraction of the electricity.
How we calculate this
Worked example
With Machine and programme Washing machine, Energy per cycle (kWh) 0.70, Cycles a week 5, Country United States (USD), Your price per kWh 0.17, this page works out $0.12 a cycle ≈ $30.94 a year. At 5 cycles a week that is $0.60 a week and $2.58 a month.
- Electricity a year182 kWh
- Cycles a year260
- Cost a year$30.94
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