Washing Machine Running Cost: Electricity, Water and Maintenance

A washing machine's motor draws only a few hundred watts, so a cold or 30 °C wash uses a small fraction of a unit. Heating the water is what costs money: raising a front loader's wash water to 60 °C takes a heater of about 2,000 W running for part of the cycle, which is why hot programmes use several times the power of cold ones.

The BEE star label is the honest comparison between machines, because it measures energy per kg under a standard test. For everyday clothes, a 30–40 °C programme cleans well with modern detergent.

Front loaders use only a partly filled drum and therefore the least water per kg. Top loaders fill the drum around the clothes, using considerably more. Semi-automatics use whatever you fill them with. Use load-sensing or half-load programmes for small loads.

• After every wash: leave the door or lid open to dry; wipe the front-loader door gasket.
• Monthly: run the tub-clean programme hot, with a washing-machine descaler on hard water.
• Every 1–3 months: clean the lint filter (top load) or the drain-pump filter (front load).
• Yearly: check inlet hose washers and filters for scale; tighten or replace leaking hoses.
• Use the right detergent — high-foam hand-wash powder in a front loader causes over-sudsing and residue.