How Much Does It Cost to Run a Washing Machine per Day?

Source: Planning watts of 500 and 0.7 hours a day, hours a day, equal to about five loads a week. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 1% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. It runs all year, so the yearly cost is twelve times the monthly figure.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $1 a month and the highest $5. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same washing machine costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 11 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

The washer motor and pump draw little power. The cost of laundry shows up mostly on the water heater and the dryer, so a page about the washer alone understates the cost of a load.

The washer itself uses little electricity. Most of the cost of a laundry load is the hot water, which shows up on the water heater line. Front-loaders use less water and spin faster than top-loaders.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 250 to 1,000 watts. At 0.7 hours a day that is $1 to $4 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Wash in cold water when you can.
• Run full loads.
• Pick the high spin speed to cut dryer time.

Next step: Clothes dryer costs. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the kitchen and laundry group: Refrigerator, Freezer, Clothes Dryer, Dishwasher, Microwave, Electric Oven, Electric Stove, Chest Freezer, Electric Kettle, Air Fryer, Coffee Maker.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 500 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 0.7 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.