Six tips for reducing your washing machine's consumption

Reducing electricity consumption is the most direct way in which we consumers can offset the impact of rising electricity bills. In the quest for energy savings, one of the most frequently asked questions is which appliances consume the most? Data from the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) leave no room for doubt: the fridge, the TV and the washing machine. So how can we reduce consumption whenever we wash our clothes?

Keeping appliances running accounts for more than half of the power consumption of an average Spanish home. The refrigerator, which is always on, consumes 30.6% of all the energy used for household appliances. Keeping the television on generates 12.2% of all this consumption, while the washing machine represents 11.8%, appliances on stand-by, 10.7%, and the oven, 8.3%.

We could choose to never turn on the oven, watch little TV, or turn off the sleep mode of all of our electronic devices. Some options are affordable, but either way we will still need to do laundry. For this reason, we present a series of good practices that will greatly reduce the consumption of your washing machine.

How to reduce the energy consumption of your washing machine

In Spanish households, using the washing machine consumes an average of 255 kWh per year. Considering the average price per kWh, with daily variations, and the water cost that is applied, our bill can increase if we do not use this appliance correctly.

Always use full loads

There are many models of washing machines on the market, with load capacities to suit the needs of each home. It is important to always wait until you have a full load before switching this appliance on. This means we will do fewer washing cycles, reduce consumption of electricity, water and detergent, and increase the useful life of our washing machine (and also of our clothes).

Wash less, in shorter cycles and with less detergent

Although it may not seem like it, we often wash clothes more times than necessary, subjecting them to long wash cycles that are only designed for very dirty clothes. And not only that, we also tend to use more detergent than strictly necessary. These are much more effective today than ever before, so small amounts suffice (this will multiply the savings and reduce the pollution of rivers and seas).

Avoid very hot water

The improved efficiency of detergents also means that most of them work perfectly in cold water. In this way we can reserve washes at above 30°C for very dirty laundry. More than 80% of the washing machine's energy consumption comes from heating water alone. Furthermore, according to the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU), washing clothes at 40°C rather than 60°C reduces the energy bill for your washing machine by up to 55%.

Minimise dryer use

More and more people are combining the use of the washing machine with the use of a dryer. These appliances consume between 2.1 and 4.2kWh per cycle, so not using them will also result in significant savings on your bills. It is therefore better to opt for a good spin cycle and, if you need to use the dryer, do so for the shortest time possible.

Take advantage of the cheapest time slots

Some free market tariffs offer time discrimination, so the price of electricity varies depending on the time of day. For example, our Tempo Happy tariffs offer you two different options, allowing you to choose between the two consecutive hours of the day or the day of the week in which electricity consumption will be free. This means you can take advantage of that free consumption time to switch on your washing machine, oven or television. The choice is yours.