Home › Appliances › Laundry › Washing Machine › United Kingdom

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Washing Machine in the UK? (2026)

Most of a washing machine's electricity goes to heating water, not spinning the drum. A cold wash uses a fraction of the power of a hot one, which is why the low and high figures differ so much.

A typical washing machine (500 W) costs £0.13 per hour, or about £3.90 per month at 1 hours a day in United Kingdom. Average running cost

Electricity price region Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low (400 W)	£0.10	£0.10	£3.12	£37.96
Typical (500 W)	£0.13	£0.13	£3.90	£47.45
High (1,300 W)	£0.34	£0.34	£10.14	£123.37

Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 1 h/day ≈ 182 kWh per year.

In the UK, with electricity at £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), a typical washing machine costs £0.13 per hour and about £47.45 per year at 1 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 7.7 hours of use.

How to lower the cost of running a washing machine

Wash in cold water. Modern detergents are designed for it and it cuts consumption by up to 90 percent.
Run full loads and use the eco cycle even though it takes longer.
A higher spin speed uses slightly more power but saves far more on drying.
Front loaders generally use less water and electricity than top loaders.

In standby it draws about 1 W, which adds roughly 9 kWh (£2.28) per year if it is never unplugged.

Frequently asked questions

How much electricity does a washing machine use per load?

Around 0.3 kWh for a cold wash and 1 to 2 kWh for a hot wash.

Is the eco cycle really cheaper?

Yes. It heats water more slowly and to a lower temperature, which uses less energy despite the longer run time.

Does the washing machine use power when off?

About 1 watt in standby on most models, which is negligible.

Compare with

Dishwasher vs Washing Machine

Cost by region

Related appliances

Use the generic electricity cost calculator →