At the current price cap rate of 26.11p per kWh, a typical washing machine costs about 16.4p per cycle, which is £42.77 a year on the usage below.
This one cycles. It switches on and off rather than running flat out, so multiplying its plate rating by the hours it is switched on overstates the cost, often by a factor of two or three. The figures here assume it draws full power for the time shown, which makes them a ceiling rather than a bill.
Where that number comes from
2,100 Wtypical power, range 500 to 2,200
0.3 hper cycle
5cycles a week, assumed
26.11pper kWh, cap average
Across the range of powers for this appliance class, one cycle costs between 3.9p and 17.2p. Your own figure is on the rating plate, usually on the back or inside the door, and it is the only one that is true for you.
Draws full power only while heating the water, which is a fraction of the cycle. That is why 40C costs noticeably more than 30C and why the plate rating misleads.
What does it cost to run?
Change any of these. The rate is the current price cap average, but yours is on your bill and is the one that matters.
—per use
—per week
—per year
Every other appliance
See the full table at today's rate, or what the price cap is doing next.