Washing machine electricity use: what one wash costs
A wash on the eco programme uses less power than many think. The price per kWh decides the rest.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
A wash on a washing machine’s eco programme uses 0.5 to 1 kWh depending on the machine’s age and energy class, according to the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten). At an all-in price of 205.9 öre/kWh, which a flat in Gothenburg pays at the Statistics Sweden average variable price for SE3 with Göteborg Energi’s grid fee, energy tax and VAT, one wash costs between SEK 1.03 and SEK 2.06 in electricity. Washing four times a week comes to SEK 428 a year at the upper figure. The agency also points out that filling the drum pays off. Hotter, shorter programmes use more than eco, but how much is in the manual or on the energy label. Enter your machine’s use, how often you wash and your own price per kWh to see the cost per wash and per year.
Washing machine: cost per use
SEK 2.06
SEK 428 a year at 4.0 uses a week
| All-in price per kWh | 205.9 öre/kWh |
| Energy per use | 1.00 kWh |
| Cost per week | SEK 8 |
| Cost per year | SEK 428 |
Assumptions
Energy per wash from the Swedish Energy Agency (0.5–1 kWh on eco), upper value pre-filled. The price per kWh is worked out as in the main calculator: your spot price, mark-up, Ei’s transfer fee for Göteborg Energi Nät AB, energy tax and VAT. Method and sources
Cost per year by how often you wash
| Washes per week | At 0.5 kWh per wash | At 1 kWh per wash |
|---|---|---|
| 1 wash | SEK 54 | SEK 107 |
| 2 washes | SEK 107 | SEK 214 |
| 4 washes | SEK 214 | SEK 428 |
| 7 washes | SEK 375 | SEK 749 |
Even for a family washing every day, electricity for laundry is a small part of the bill. What matters most is the energy per wash, meaning the machine’s energy class, the programme you choose and whether the drum is full. Two half loads use roughly twice as much as one full load.
When the washer and the dryer go together
The Swedish Energy Agency says a tumble-dryer cycle uses two to three times more energy than the washing machine. If you tumble-dry every load, drying costs more than washing. See the tumble dryer cost and the dishwasher’s for the same calculation.
Timing and your contract
On a quarter-hour contract you can paste today’s prices into the calculator and see when a wash is cheapest to start. The gain per wash is small but real. On a variable or fixed price the start time does not change the bill, so making sure the drum is full matters more. More on finding cheap periods in the cheapest time for electricity.