Technically calculating the power consumption of any washer becomes a challenging task.
Each time you operate the washer, the consumption may vary depending on the wash cycle, water quality, and load type.
At some point, your washer may consume less power and vice versa.
There are various power calculating formulas one of which is Power consumed (kWh) = Rated power (kW) x Operational hours (hours).
These formulas may give you varied results and involves a lot of guesswork.
In today’s post, we will discuss ways to calculate the accurate power consumption of your washer.
Here’s what you will learn:
- What makes the washer consume more power?
- How can I get an accurate power consumption figure?
- Which washer consumes less power?
Let’s dive right into it.
Table of Content
- At what point washer has an increased power consumption?
- How can I get the right power consumption figure for my washer?
- Which washer consumes less power?
- Final thoughts
At what point the washer has an increased power consumption OR What makes the washer consume more power?
Let’s start with an example of 200 watts washer.
If your washer has a capacity of 200W power consumption, this doesn’t mean that it uses the same amount of power during the entire wash cycle.
The set figure of the washer indicates that it is the maximum power that it may consume during the wash cycle.
The power consumption varies in different settings and different functions of your washer that are discussed below:
- The power consumption starts right from the time you turn on the washer which consumes minimal power at this point.
- Later, you add the laundry and detergent to the dispensers and start your wash cycle. Now is the time for the water inlet valve to function followed by the detergent dispenser that consumes more power.
- Now starts the job of the main motor which handles the major power-consuming process which is the tumbling action (agitation) along with spinning the laundry.
- The drain pump does the final job of discharging wastewater followed by a soak cycle.
- The period when the heating element is in use is another instance of high-power consumption during the cycle.
- Another point where the washer may consume more electricity is due to overloaded laundry. Yes, overloading the laundry consumes more power due to excess load pressure on the main motor responsible for agitation and spinning.
How can I get the right power consumption figure for my washer?
To get an accurate power consumption calculation there are several devices available online or at your local hardware stores.
Devices like electricity usage monitors can give you the exact amount of power consumption by any electronic appliance.
These are like plug-load monitors that can be plugged into the outlets and you can further plug in your appliance for which you want to monitor the power consumption.
Once you plug in the washer in these devices, you will get the amount of actual power consumption.
Simply note down the reading of the washer’s power consumption for 4-5 washes or for an entire week and it will be easier to average out the approximate monthly power consumption.
For any washer that you use for the laundry, its power consumption depends on the number of cycles that you run.
The more wash cycles performed in a given month, the higher will be the power consumption.
Anyways, the washers do not consume a lot of energy as you may be concerned about.
Running wash cycles with cold or warm water consumes less energy, because when you run a wash cycle with hot water then your washer uses the heating elements which consume more power.
In fact, we did a test on 4 washing machines to get the power consumption documented, and here are the results.
| Washing Machine Model | Test Results |
| Samsung 6.5 Kg 5 Star Inverter Fully-Automatic Top Loading Washing Machine | 0.22 kWh Per Cycle |
| Whirlpool 7 Kg 5 Star Semi-Automatic Top Loading Washing Machine | 0.23 kWh Per Cycle |
| LG 6 Kg 5 Star Inverter Fully-Automatic Front Loading Washing Machine | 0.14 kWh Per Cycle |
| Samsung 6.0 Kg Inverter 5-star Fully-Automatic Front Loading Washing Machine | 0.13 kWh Per Cycle |
Methodology Used
- Since we have only 1 power monitor, these tests were not done simultaneously, therefore we had to run the wash cycle one after the other.
- So, We first attached the power monitor.
- All 4 washers were run on the highest RPM and highest possible settings (Complete wash cycle i.e. from washing to draining).
- The laundry load was maximum according to the model and capacity of the washer.
- We repeated the test 5 more times over a period of 3 days and then took the average.
- The average power utilization is what we documented in the above table.
Which washer consumes less power?
In older days washers consumed more power compared to the latest washers.
Modern-day washers such as Front loads and HE washers are said to be energy (power) efficient.
The power consumption units are available on the labels and also the washers are star rated as per their power consumption.
These ratings range from 1 to 5 stars, and most washer’s ratings range from 3, 4, and 5 stars.
Washers rated with 5 stars are more efficient.
Final thoughts
The power consumption of your washer can be controlled by averaging the usage of your washer.
Avoid overloading your washer and limit multiple wash cycles, by segregating the fabrics into proper loads and types.
To identify how much power your washer consumes in each cycle or in a month, you may opt for the power calculating devices that are easily available online or at the local hardware stores.
To save more on power run most of the wash cycle with cold or warm water, use a hot water cycle only when there is a need.
For more information on the daily laundry do visit our FAQ section.
