How much water and electricity does a washing machine use?
The median residential washer on file uses 6,711 gallons of water a year, about 22.8 gallons a cycle, and 687 kWh a year with an electric water heater and an electric dryer — at DOE's test count of 295 cycles a year, across 1,279 models.
Scope Residential clothes washers on file with DOE, at DOE's test: the same cycle count for every drum, not your laundry habits.
Water a year, by class
Every residential washer DOE lists today: 1,279 models. Each row is a product class; the middle half is the range that holds the middle 50% of its models.
| Class | Models | Lowest | Middle half | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front-loading, standard size | 360 | 1,711 | 3,850 to 4,278 | 4,248 | 6,933 |
| Top-loading, standard size | 870 | 2,758 | 6,711 to 8,245 | 7,287 | 10,163 |
| Top-loading, compact | 48 | 2,289 | 3,452 to 4,142 | 3,732 | 4,295 |
| Front-loading, compact | 1 | 1,631 | 1,631 | 1,631 | 1,631 |
Electricity a year, by class
| Class | Models | Lowest | Middle half | Median | Highest | ENERGY STAR machine only, median (models) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front-loading, standard size | 360 | 245 | 434 to 492 | 470 | 802 | 123 (218) |
| Top-loading, standard size | 870 | 285 | 658 to 827 | 745 | 996 | 260 (147) |
| Top-loading, compact | 48 | 178 | 254 to 260 | 257 | 333 | none filed |
| Front-loading, compact | 1 | 181 | 181 | 181 | 181 | none filed |
These kWh carry one scope: with an electric water heater and an electric dryer. DOE's IMEF counts the machine, heating its water and drying what the spin leaves wet, so the yearly figure read back from it is that whole home's total. Only ENERGY STAR files the machine alone, and only for the models it certifies: 365 of 1,279 models here, median 139 kWh a year. The rest of the yearly figure is heating the water and drying.
In one cycle
| Class | Drum, cubic feet | Gallons a cycle | kWh a cycle, dryer included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front-loading, standard size | 4.5 | 14.4 | 1.59 |
| Top-loading, standard size | 4.3 | 24.7 | 2.52 |
| Top-loading, compact | 1.1 | 12.7 | 0.87 |
| Front-loading, compact | 0.7 | 5.5 | 0.61 |
Both columns are exact re-expressions of what each model files, not estimates. The gallons a cycle are its IWF (gallons per cycle for each cubic foot of drum) times its drum size, which is how DOE's test defines IWF. The kWh a cycle are its drum size divided by its IMEF, dryer included. The yearly tables above are these figures times DOE's 295 cycles a year. DOE's cycle is a set of test loads; a real load can use more or less.
What is not on file
- Not published: what the water costs you a year. Why: water and sewer rates are set by thousands of local utilities and no free national source publishes them. Instead: The gallons above are filed at DOE’s test, so you can price them on your own water and sewer bill.
- Not published: how many watts a washing machine draws while it runs. Why: no registry files a power draw or a run time; DOE files efficiency and water per cycle and ENERGY STAR files kilowatt-hours a year, neither as a wattage. Instead: The kWh a cycle above is the energy a whole cycle takes; it is what a watt figure would be multiplied into, and no run time is filed to get back from it.
- Not published: the figure for a home with a gas water heater, a gas dryer or line drying. Why: DOE's rating assumes electric water heating and an electric dryer and files no split between the machine, the water heating and the drying. Instead: The kWh above is the electric-home total; a home with gas or a clothesline uses less, and no registry splits it.
Find your washer's class
Keep going
Related pages
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Top load vs front load washing machine
The two standard-size classes, side by side.
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Water heaters
The other big user of hot water in a home, with every model on file.
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What a water heater costs to run
Prices a water heater’s efficiency against your own utility’s tariff.
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Brands
What each brand has on file, by product type. No brand ratings.