Time to put a wash on? Yeh, me too. But maybe just browse the internet a little longer to avoid those chores. As much as I hate chores, it’s not so bad in the modern world with appliances like a clothes washer. The only thing to be concerned about (except separating your whites) is the power consumption.
Below we will discuss and test washing machine wattage, explain how to work it out for yourself, and calculate the total electricity required.
How Many Watts is a Washing Machine?
A washing machine uses an average running power of between 300 and 500 watts. In addition, a washing machine will have a much higher peak wattage of around 2000 watts when heating water.
The exact number depends on the size and model of your washing machine. For example, a smaller economy washing machine averages at 300W during a cycle while larger drum appliances reach a running average of over 500W.
You should understand that the power draw peaks and falls during a washing cycle. It is not always constant. It will be highest when heating water and then drop during a gentle spin. This means there is a big contrast between the peak and average wattage.
There are two main elements that draw power – the heater for the water and the motor to spin the drum. The heating element will account for 70% of the power and the motor 30% of the power.
Finding the running watts of a washing machine can be tricky as it is not always listed. You might come across several numbers to take into account including:
- Peak Running Watts – The highest power a clothes washer reaches.
- Average Running Watts – The average power draw during a cycle.
- Total Energy Consumption – The amount of electricity in kWh used per cycle.
How to Find Out Your Washing Machine Wattage
There’s 3 ways you can work out the wattage of a washing machine.
- Check Product Specification
The quickest way is to look at the washing machine’s specifications. The average watts (W) is sometimes written on a sticker on the base of the appliance. If not, you can check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website for technical details.
- Use a Wattmeter
A wattmeter is brilliant for getting a live wattage reading and tracking total energy usage of any appliance. You can simply plug it into your washing machine to get instant information.
I used one to test my washing machine which gave an average reading of 471.8W during a cycle.
- Wattage Formula or Calculator
If you know the amperage and voltage of your washing machine you can use this to find the maximum watt rating. Simply use the formula Amps x Volts = Watts. Or you can head over to the ‘Watt Calculator’ to work this out.
Washing Machine Wattage Test
How Much Electricity Does a Washing Machine Use?
You can use washing machine wattage to work out how much electricity it uses. Plus this can be useful in understanding how much it costs to run your washing machine.
A watt (W) is a measurement of power at a single point in time. A watt-hour (Wh) is the total amount of electricity used in an hour. For example, a washing machine drawing an average 500W would use 500Wh when running for an hour.
Happily, electricity bills are recorded in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is simply 1000 watts. So a 500W washing machine running for 1 hour uses 0.5kWh.
In reality, you might use a washing machine 3 times a week on a 2 hour cycle. This means a washing machine uses about 3000Wh or 3kWh electricity a week. That’s 12.9kWh a month and 154.8kWh a year.
That’s a rough electricity cost of $1.93 a month or $23.22 a year to wash your clothes 3 times a week.
Using a Washing Machine Off-Grid
If you’re planning to use your washing machine in an off-grid situation like a power outage, RV, boat, or similar, the information above is crucial. It allows you to select and install the correct electrical equipment, plus understand runtime.
You can either use a power inverter, portable power station, or generator to generate AC electricity.
To make sure everything runs smoothly you should check two things on this equipment – wattage capacity and total energy capacity.
Your power source, like an inverter, should have a wattage capacity of at least 20% more than your washing machine’s peak running watts. This ensures it will be able to deliver enough power as they are never 100% efficient. To wash clothes, you will likely need at least 2000W of power capacity!
Secondly, you need to ensure your energy source, like a battery, has enough energy to run the washing machine for the required amount of time. As we already know, it will use upto 1000Wh electricity for each cycle. This is the equivalent to 83.3Ah on a 12V battery.
To be honest, a washing machine uses a serious amount of power and it is probably best to avoid it when you have limited access to electricity. At the very least, run a cold wash which will dramatically reduce the energy draw.
How Many Watts Does a Washing Machine Use Summary
I hope you now understand how many watts a washing machine uses.
When you break it down, these appliances don’t use as much electricity as you might think. Many articles and calculations over calculate as it only takes into account the ‘peak running wattage’ rather than the average power draw. Of course, you will still notice a difference in your electricity usage when using your machine regularly. Plus if you want to keep a low power consumption then avoid hot washes so you don’t engage the heating element!
