Temperature is the lever
Heating water is the dominant energy input. Cold-wash detergents clean most everyday loads well; moving warm loads to cold can cut laundry energy by half or more.
Washing Machine Cost per Load
Updated July 2026 rate dataKitchen & LaundrySourced from ENERGY STAR — Clothes Washers
Water temperature is the lever: a hot wash on an electric water heater dwarfs the machine's own electricity, while cold washing with modern detergent handles most everyday loads. Set your loads per week and state below to see your number.
Quick pick
EIA residential average, July 2026. Your utility's exact rate is on your bill.
0.5 kWh
0.1 kWh4.0 kWh
5/wk
1/wk21/wk
Common setups
Per load
$0.092
0.5 kWh
Per day
$0.065
0.36 kWh
Per month
$1.99
11 kWh
Per year
$24
130 kWh
Run like this for a year and it adds about $24 to your electricity bill.
Figures cover the washer's electricity. If your water heater is electric, wash temperature multiplies the real cost — the presets reflect that.
Energy: 0.36 kWh per day · 130 kWh per year, at 18.31¢/kWh (U.S. average).
What changes the number
HE vs. traditional
High-efficiency front-loaders use ~13 gallons per load; traditional top-loaders with agitators use 30–40. Less hot water plus faster spins (which cut dryer time) makes HE machines cheaper twice.
Spin speed pays forward
A higher final spin leaves clothes drier, so the dryer (a much hungrier appliance) runs 10–15 minutes less per load. Front-loaders lead here.
Cut the cost
Biggest savings first.
- Default to cold wash; reserve warm/hot for oils, stains, and sick-day linens.
- Wash full loads — the cost per load is roughly fixed regardless of fill.
- If your water heater is gas, the hot-water premium is cheaper than the electric figures above; if it's electric, cold washing saves the most.
- High-spin setting before the dryer is free drying.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a washing machine per load?
Motor-only, about 5–15¢ per load at the U.S. average rate (18.31¢/kWh). With an electric water heater doing hot washes, the true cost can reach 50–70¢ per load. Cold washing keeps it near the minimum.
How much does laundry cost per month for a family?
A family running 8 loads a week cold-washing spends roughly $2–4/month in washer electricity; the dryer typically costs 3–5× that. Warm-wash habits push washer costs to $10–20/month.
Does a washing machine use a lot of electricity?
The machine itself is a light load (0.3–0.5 kWh/cycle) — it's the water heating and drying that make laundry one of the bigger household energy uses.
Sources
- ENERGY STAR — Clothes Washers
- U.S. EIA, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A — Average Price of Electricity by State
Rate basis: EIA residential average, July 2026 (retrieved from Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A). Estimates are for planning, not billing.
