What Does It Cost to Run a Washing Machine in Washington?

This page estimates the energy-only cost to run a washing machine in Washington using a typical household washing machine, an average load of 700 watts, and a typical runtime of 0.5 hours/day.

Average wattage assumption
700 W
Typical usage assumption
0.5 hours/day
Estimated monthly electricity use
10.5 kWh
Estimated monthly cost
$1.35
Estimated yearly cost
$16.43

Key metrics

MetricValue
Average wattage assumption700 W
Typical usage assumption0.5 hours/day
Estimated monthly electricity use10.5 kWh
Estimated monthly cost$1.35
Estimated yearly cost$16.43

Washing Machine cost vs U.S. average

Washington average rate
12.86 ¢/kWh
Washington monthly cost
$1.35
U.S. monthly cost
$1.84
Monthly difference
-$0.49

At the statewide average residential rate, running a washing machine in Washington costs less per month by $0.49 than the same usage pattern priced at the current U.S. average electricity rate.

How much electricity does a washing machine use?

This estimate uses a typical wattage range of 400-1,400 W and a modeling assumption of 700 watts for 0.5 hours/day. Using the formula kWh = (watts × hours) / 1000, that works out to 0.35 kWh per day, 10.5 kWh per 30-day month, and 127.7 kWh per year.

Washing machines generally use less electricity than dryers, but hot-water wash cycles can raise total energy cost indirectly. In Washington, that energy is priced using the statewide residential average of 12.86 ¢/kWh, with a national benchmark of 17.57 ¢/kWh for comparison.

Washing Machine operating cost estimate in Washington

Time periodEnergy useCost
Per hour0.70 kWh$0.09
Per day0.35 kWh$0.05
Per month10.5 kWh$1.35
Per year127.7 kWh$16.43

These estimates isolate electricity usage only. Real utility bills can be higher because delivery charges, taxes, seasonal pricing, and fixed monthly fees are not included in this appliance model.

What changes the cost the most?

The biggest cost drivers for a washing machine are the local electricity rate and real-world usage intensity. For this appliance, the main swing factors are wash temperature, load frequency, machine efficiency.

If your usage is lighter or heavier than the assumption on this page, the linked state calculator and usage-cost pages below are the fastest way to model a custom scenario with the same state electricity rate.

For calculator-focused intent, use the Washing Machine calculator in Washington to compare light, typical, and heavy usage profiles.

Comparison discovery pathways

Use the curated Energy Comparison Hub to move between appliance, state, and usage comparison routes without changing canonical ownership for appliance cost intent.

Rollout-enabled city context in Washington

These city pages provide supplemental local context for this same appliance usage profile. City values are deterministic estimates and remain secondary to the canonical appliance-state route.

CityCity rateMonthly estimateYearly estimateCity route
Seattle11.50 ¢/kWh$1.21$14.49City electricity context

City pages are authority/context routes and not appliance-by-city canonical pages. Appliance cost intent remains canonical at this state-level route.

Related appliance cost pages for Washington

State cost and bill pathways for Washington

Historical and trend pages

Fixed-usage and calculator pathways

Appliance and estimator pathways

State comparison pathways for Washington

Discovery and navigation hubs

Consumer electricity drivers

Source & Method

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Retail Sales of Electricity. Last dataset period: February 2026. Costs are energy-only estimates and exclude delivery charges, taxes, and fixed utility fees.

Disclaimers