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Why most washing machine advice gets it wrong
Washing machine guides pour effort into comparing star ratings and brands, as if the machine is the main cost. For everyday washing it isn't. The dominant cost is heating water, and that's controlled by the temperature you select, a free setting, not by which machine you bought.
There's also a lingering belief that clothes need warm or hot water to come clean. For normal loads that hasn't been true for years, modern detergents are designed for cold washing. Holding onto warm-by-default quietly pays to heat water the wash doesn't need.
How washing machine running costs work
The cost is almost entirely about water: how hot, and how much.
Temperature is the cost dial
Up to 90% of a warm or hot wash's energy goes on heating the water; the motor, pump and spin are a small fraction. So a cold wash costs a few cents, a warm wash several times that, and a hot wash more again, on the same machine, with the same clothes. Choosing cold for everyday loads removes nearly all the running cost in one tap. Save warm and hot for the rare loads that genuinely need them.
Machine type, water and timing
Front loaders usually use less water and energy per load than top loaders and spin faster, so clothes come out drier and need less time in the dryer, a knock-on saving. Running full loads spreads the cost over more clothes, and on a time-of-use tariff a delay timer shifts the wash to cheap off-peak power or midday solar. None of these need a new machine.
Cold vs warm vs hot: the wash-temperature cost
This calculator shows a year of washing at cold, warm and hot, and what off-peak timing does on top. The temperature dial moves the bill far more than any machine choice. Every figure also appears in the worked example below.
Washing machine running cost
Per year. Edit any input.
Cost = loads/week × 52 × wash energy × rate. Cold-wash energy is mostly the motor; warm and hot add water heating. Off-peak is the same wash on cheaper power. Rates are editable defaults.
Worked example (the calculator's default). 5 loads a week, cold 0.2 kWh, warm 0.7 kWh, hot 1.3 kWh, peak 48 c, off-peak 22 c:
| How you wash | Energy/year | Cost for the year |
|---|---|---|
| Hot wash, peak time | 338 kWh | ~$162 |
| Warm wash, peak time | 182 kWh | ~$87 |
| Cold wash, off-peak | 52 kWh | ~$11 |
Same clothes, same machine. Going from hot-at-peak to cold-at-off-peak takes the bill from about $162 to roughly $11 a year, almost entirely by not heating water you didn't need.
How Aussies overpay without realising it
Leaving the dial on warm out of habit heats water most everyday loads never needed, every single wash.
Modern detergents are built for cold. For normal loads, warm water adds cost, not cleanliness.
Lots of half loads cost more than fewer full ones. Wait for a full drum.
A faster final spin leaves clothes drier, cutting dryer time and cost down the line, especially on a front loader.
The insider insight: you're not paying to wash, you're paying to heat
Reframe the whole appliance: a washing machine is mostly a water heater with a drum attached. The drum, pump and spin barely register on the bill; the cost is in the kettle's worth of hot water a warm or hot cycle pours in. Once you see laundry that way, the cheapest washing machine isn't a product you buy, it's a setting you choose.
This is why chasing a more efficient machine to cut laundry costs is mostly effort in the wrong place for everyday washing. The hardware difference is small next to the temperature difference, which is free. The household that simply switches to cold for normal loads, runs the drum full, and times it for off-peak power, beats almost any upgrade, and pockets the saving on every load from now on.
What you should actually do
| Do this | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Wash everyday loads in cold | Removes up to 90% of the energy cost; modern detergents clean cold. |
| Run full loads | Spreads the small fixed cost over more clothes. |
| Use the delay timer for off-peak (or solar) | Same wash, cheaper power, on a time-of-use plan. |
| Use a high spin speed | Drier clothes cut the dryer's cost afterwards. |
| Prefer a front loader when buying | Usually less water and energy per load than a top loader. |
| In VIC, NSW, SA, QLD, ACT: compare plans against the DMO/VDO | A cheaper off-peak rate makes timed washes cheaper still. |
In Western Australia (Synergy) and the Northern Territory (Power and Water) there's no retailer to switch to, so cold washing, full loads and off-peak timing are the wins. See our clothes dryer guide for the next step in the laundry.
Why this matters right now
With electricity prices high and time-of-use tariffs spreading, the cold-wash-plus-off-peak combination is worth more every year, and it's available to every household, including renters and those in WA and the NT who can't switch retailers.
The takeaway: turn the dial to cold. It's the cheapest, fastest washing machine saving there is, and it works on the machine you already own.
Frequently asked questions
Current figures — last updated 2026-06-13
All values in AUD and Australian units. Volatile figures change; check your own plan before relying on them.
| Share of a warm/hot wash spent heating water | up to ~90% |
|---|---|
| Typical cold-wash energy | ~0.1–0.3 kWh |
| Typical warm-wash energy | ~0.6–0.9 kWh |
| Typical hot-wash energy | ~1.0–1.6 kWh |
| Typical peak / off-peak rates | ~40–55 c · ~15–25 c/kWh [verify: your plan] |
| Reference price (NSW, SA, SE QLD / VIC) | AER DMO / ESC VDO [verify: current value] |
Sources: energy.gov.au, Energy Rating Label scheme, Australian Energy Regulator (DMO), ESC Victoria (VDO).