How much electricity does a washing machine use
It is hard to find a home without a washing machine. Almost every household invests in top load or front loading washing machines to wash clothes. Be it a top load washing machine or a front load washing machine; the energy consumption and monthly electricity bill are every person’s concern. How much electricity is consumed by a washing machine is determined by several factors. However, by running the washing machine optimally and by following certain techniques, and always looking for a machine with the Energy Star rating; you will be able to welcome lesser electricity bills.
In this article, we will discuss the factors that can cause increased power consumption in washing machines. We are here to give you all the pro tips in hand to reduce power consumption and save energy and money while using your front or top loading washing machines. Let us get started to learn how washing machines have an impact on electricity usage and how you can reduce the amount of electricity used. With that being said, let us get started.
Does a washing machine use a lot of electricity?
Any electrical appliance will give you high electricity bills when they are not efficient in their use. How much electricity your washing machine uses per kWh can be influenced by your use. Minimal electricity usage is possible by being smart, like investing in energy star models that have technology with saving energy.
Washing clothes in a machine would use 5.24 kWh of electricity per wash load. Based on the units charged for your machine or home, you can calculate the per kWh cost and the amount of electricity consumption for an entire year.
How to Calculate Power Consumption Of A Washing Machine:
To calculate how much electricity a washing machine takes up, you just need a simple formula. You have to know kilowatt-hours, wattage, and operating hours to calculate the electricity usage.
kWh = Wattage x operating hour / 1000
To calculate the electricity bill for a month, you have to multiply the daily power consumption by 30.
8 tips to use your washing machine efficiently to reduce the electricity bill
One of the important rules to remember when it comes to using washing machines is that it is not just about how many times you run the machine in a day, rather it is about how efficient you are in using that machine. The amount of electricity used by any electrical appliance depends on how they are used. To understand how much electricity is used by a washing machine in your home on a regular basis or the electricity usage in your home, you should also be aware of the ways in which you can reduce the power consumption and thereby the electricity bills.
Let us take a look at the various steps to have energy efficiency put to use to reduce electricity consumption.
Type of washing machine:
Did you know that reducing energy bills is possible by using the right type of washing machine for your need?
Front loading washing machines and a top loading washing machines have different levels of energy consumption. A top load washing machine and a front load washing machine do not just vary in their price or their wash cycle. Front loaders and top loaders also differ in the amount of water and energy they use to wash clothes.
They are largely different in how much electricity and water they consume. Due to this difference in electricity consumption, when saving energy is a priority it is not just important to look at an energy efficient design but to also look closely at the type of machine that will help to save electricity.
Front loaders are known for using less water, but they have long wash cycles. which means the amount of electricity used can be more. On the other hand, top loaders are known for their smaller wash cycles, however, they use more water.
If you use front load washing machines and use cold water for your washing, the amount of electricity used is going to be more because the front load washing machine has a long washing cycle. But, a top load washing machine will use more energy only when it has to use hot water for washing clothes since heating water is going to consume more energy.
When it comes to energy efficiency, a front load washing machine is a recommended choice.
Size of the washing machine:
If you intend to save electricity when you wash clothes, it is important to understand that energy consumption is going to increase with the size of the machine.
If washing clothes daily is not your priority and a small load of laundry is all that you have, it is wise to purchase a small top loading or front loading washing machine. The larger the size of the washing machine, the more energy will it consume.
It is always recommended to look for an energy star machine and to also know how much electricity even the smallest machine will consume. Invest in the right size of a washing machine to suit your load to have reduced energy consumption.
Energy Star:
Do not dismiss the energy star label in your machine. How much electricity is expected to be used by the machine can be read into the details you find on an energy star label. You can save money on every cost spent on energy bills. Power consumption cannot be taken lightly. It is essential to make use of every opportunity that helps use less energy and get fewer energy bills.
Experts recommend looking for washing machines with the BEE 5 star rating. Energy consumption in these washing machine models will be quite less. Saving money and energy will not be a problem.
Laundry load:
Did you know that reducing monthly electricity bills is possible by watching the amount of laundry you wash?
Be it small laundry or large laundry, your machine will consume electricity at the same level irrespective of the laundry load inside it. How much energy is used by the machine will not change unless the water heating or maximum power is used for the wash cycles.
since water heater and thermal drying system produce heat for water heating, the electric motor running is going to use more power and spend less electricity or more electricity accordingly.
In an average home, washing clothes with the full load might happen on alternate days. You can ensure to use the full load to wash clothes, rather than many small batches of a smaller set of clothes. This way you save power, heat, and cost. An efficient way of saving money and power consumption is to use the best use of full load for washing clothes when more electricity is used to run a cycle in one hour.
Detergent:
Another step to follow is using the right amount and kind of detergent for the washing machine, be it top loaders or front loaders, the manufacturer may recommend a certain amount or type of detergent to be used. It is highly advised you follow it
You would be surprised to learn that this has an indirect effect on the electricity bill that comes from your machine. Too much detergent would require many wash cycles to wash the clothes thoroughly. You can save electricity, power, and cost spent on the multiple wash cycles. The average cost spent on the many wash cycles can be saved if you used the right amount of detergent.
Heating:
Any electric motor will have increased power consumption when they have to produce heat, whether it is incandescent light bulbs, water heater, or any electric heater. The power rating for these devices is less. The power consumption per kilowatt-hour is more when heat comes into play. More electricity translates to more cost or high electricity bills.
Rather than wanting to heat water for every wash, try to use hot water cycles only when absolutely necessary. Cold water cycles can be used when you have the choice of whether to heat water or not. Heating water will consume more power and money, hence an efficient way to save energy is to replace the hot water cycle with a cold water cycle when possible.
Spin speed vs dryer:
Another way to reduce the high monthly electricity bills is by switching the Thermal drying method with natural ways of drying clothes. Thermal dryers use more power and will shoot the electricity bill. Sun drying or air dying natural ways of drying clothes that will aid in power consumption can be used as options.
However, if sun drying is not an option or choice of reference, you can switch to front loading washing machine. Font loading washing machines will use less water and energy and have a better power rating. Sun drying the clothes after washing is indeed an energy efficient way to dry the clothes; for the environment and to have reduced power consumption.
Avoid Stand-By mode:
Stand By mode will consume energy. An energy efficient choice is to never let the washing machine on Stand-By mode. You can save on power consumption and on your electricity bill by avoiding the Stand-By mode on your washing machine.
Power Consumption: Front Load vs. Top Load:
As aforementioned, Front loading washing machines are better at power consumption compared to top load models. Let us see why they consume less electricity.
Front load machines:
They use less water, more options for wash cycles, features like automatic valves and energy efficiency, better power rating, and heating water technology. However, they have longer cycles close to one hour and more.
Top load models:
These have short wash cycles but use more water and power rating and power consumption is relatively more compared to front load machines.
If you intend to save electricity front load models are the best choice since they consume electricity minimally.
1. Is it cheaper to use a washing machine at night?
The cost of washing clothes is not going to come down with a huge difference if you switch to washing clothes at night. No matter when you wash clothes in your wash machine, the power consumption is going to have a very minimal effect with time. Since a washing machine will run on maximum power all the time when it comes to washing clothes, the cost of using them will be affected minimally.
However, you can save electricity and reduce electricity bills marginally by opting to wash clothes in the evening. Some studies say since morning and night is the time when other high-power electrical devices are ON, that use heating or cooling, using a washer in the evening might have lesser power consumption. The per kWh may or may not be affected by this. However, you can try this method to test if this is an energy efficient tip and if it affects the kilowatt hour of your device at all.
2. Why is your electric bill so high?
A good reason why your electricity bills are high apart from an increase in the kWh rate or power tariff applied on the utility bill; could be because you have neglected some small errors that drain out the power.
Using light bulbs that have a poor power rating.
Use of electrical devices past their prime even if they once were popular in energy efficiency.
Long hours of use of water heater or other devices for heating water or other food, or those that use hot water and cold water (ovens, microwave, dryer, dishwasher, AC, water cooler).
Letting the devices stay plugged on even if they aren’t in use.
You can make some small changes in your home and lifestyle to save electricity and power consumption. Switch to making hot water on the stove if only a small amount if it is required rather than turning on the microwave, switch to hand washing dishes rather than using the dishwasher (for a small load and when possible), replace light bulbs that consume more electricity with those that have good power rating designs, installing automatic valves for your washer, etc.
These small changes will have a definite impact on how much electricity you consume daily.
3. How many watts is LG washing machine?
The per kWh of the LG washing machine will vary for each model. The power consumption and power rating will differ based on the size of the washing machine, front load washing machine, or top load machine, and more.
The LG fully automatic front load washing machine consumes 1700 Watts of power.
Some models of LG might even go up higher to 2000 kilowatt hour.
4. How much does it cost to leave lights on all night?
To save electricity, it is important to switch off all electrical devices that are not in use.
How much electricity light bulbs draw and how it is going to cost you if they are left all night will depend on the power consumption of the light bulb and the tariff given for electricity bills.
5. What draws the most electricity in a home?
Here are the electrical appliances that draw the most power in a home. AC, water heater, dishwasher, washing machine, lights, television, media equipment, and others.
6. What is the advantage of inverter washing machine?
A front load washing machine with inverter technology is the most energy efficient option you can find. Energy star certified inverter machines will consume less power, less water, and even give high performance with minimal power consumption. Their motor is designed to aid the washing machine to function without using more electricity.
Wrapping Up
We have reached the end of the article. We trust you have understood how much electricity your washing machine might be using and how to bring about efficient energy use. Share with us how much electricity your machine uses to wash clothes in one hour and how much does it cost.
About the Author
Neha Tiwari, Member at Homezilla.in
Neha is the one who is aware of current trends and best practices in our desi community. She also helps and educates people looking for a solution to their problems via online. Her work has been published on countless blogs and notable magazines.
