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When is it cheaper to put on your washing machine?

Knowing when it's cheaper to put on a washing machine can really help us to cut our electricity bill. We explain what the best times are based on your tariff type.

We are becoming increasingly aware that our habits can affect our electricity consumption, especially when these are routine and repeated almost every day. So it's very interesting to know when it is cheaper to put on your washing machine, which can enable you to significantly reduce your electricity bill.

 

The best time to put on your washing machine in 2021

The best times for putting on your washing machine are the off-peak hours from 12 midnight to 8 am from Monday to Friday and throughout the day on weekends and holidays. However, depending on your tariff type, it may be much cheaper to put on your washing machine at other times.

We are going to take a look at all your options:

 

1. The best time period to put on your washing machine if you have a flat-rate electricity tariff

There are currently alternatives for your electricity contracts where you pay the same every month regardless of whether you consume more or less power. We are talking about real ones, flat-rate tariffs for electricity where you do not have to worry about what time you consume electricity.

With this type of tariff you can put on your washing machine or any household appliance at any time of day and forget about the time bands.

 

2. Times when you don't pay to put on your washing machine

Another option is to take advantage of tariffs that give you free hours of electricity consumption. In this case the question is easier to answer, the best times to put the washing machine on are those when the consumption of electricity is free.

For example, you can choose two hours in a row free with the Tempo Happy tariff, 2 hours each day when you will not pay anything for the electricity you consume. If you concentrate your consumption within these hours you will be able to put on your washing machine or any other household appliance for €0 per kW/h.

 

3. Time-of-use tariffs and washing machine time bands.

There are some people whose lifestyle allows them to focus their electricity consumption at certain times of the day and choose a time-of-use electricity tariff. In this case, the best times for putting on your washing machine are the off-peak or standard hours in the new electricity time bands.

For example, customers with Endesa time-of-use tariffs (such as One Luz 3 Time Bands) are best off concentrating their consumption in off-peak and standard hours, when a kWh is cheaper than during peak hours.

With time-discrimination tariffs the best times to put on your washing machine are from 12 midnight to 8 am and, alternatively, in the off-peak time band: from 8am to 10am; from 2pm to 6pm and from 10pm to 12 midnight.

During weekends and public holidays the cheapest time applies 24 hours per day. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays you will not have to worry about when it is cheaper to put the washing machine on with this tariff type.  

 

A comparison of when it is best to put on your washing machine on weekdays with time-of-use tariffs

Time band Price per kW/h*
Peak €0.303723 /kWh
Off-peak €0.189849 /kWh
Standard €0.141266 /kWh

*The prices indicated include the electricity tax and the new reduced VAT rate of 10% (supplies with power ≤ 10kW if the circumstances envisaged in RDL 12/2021 apply. Otherwise the VAT rate of 21% would apply).

4. Tariffs where it always costs the same to put on your washing machine

In addition to flat-rate electricity tariffs such as Endesa Única, there is another tariff type where any time of day is best for putting on your washing machine .

These are tariffs where the electricity price is fixed throughout the day, such as One Luz. They are designed for people whose energy consumption is stable throughout the week. With this type of tariff any time of day is a good time to put on your washing machine without worrying about the kW/h price as the monthly price is fixed.

 

When it is more economical to put on your washing machine in the regulated market

In the case of the regulated market, we must again look at the electricity time bands if we want to save money when we put on the washing machine.

The situation is similar to the one described above, in the case of time-of-use tariffs. In the PVPC model (or regulated market) all the tariffs have this discrimination by time bands.

 

Similarities and differences

  • In both the free and the regulated market, it is cheapest to put on your washing machine during off-peak hours, followed by the standard period.
  • In the regulated market the price of electricity varies every hour and every day. This is why there is no fixed value for the kW/h price, which fluctuates every hour and every day depending on the electricity auction.
  • In the free market, although the price also follows the peak, standard and off-peak time bands, the electricity price is fixed in each period and known in advance.

For illustrative purposes, let us suppose that we put on a washing machine with a two-hour programme. With this type of tariff, in the free market the price of putting on your washing machine is the same in the first and second hour.

In the regulated market, however, the kW/h price will vary in the first and second hour (which may be lower or higher).

 

Other factors which affect the price of putting on a washing machine

A washing machine is an essential appliance in our home, but is also one of the most energy-hungry. There are essentially two reasons for this:

  1. If we use long programmes at high temperatures the energy cost of putting on a washing machine is higher.
  2. We need to make frequent use of this appliance, especially in families with many members or businesses with lots of textiles to launder.

Ultimately these two factors add to the annual cost of running washing machines. This is why it is one of the household appliances where there is an increasing demand for models with the best energy rating.

With a tariff that best suits your lifestyle and needs, and by choosing more energy-efficient models, we can know when it is cheaper to put on our washing machine and achieve a substantial saving over the year.

Below you will find other related articles and posts in which we offer you more tips for saving when you put on your washing machine and many more household appliances.

Comparison of Electricity and Gas Tariffs

You don't need to adapt to Endesa's tariffs because they adapt to you. If you go to our catalogue you can compare the different tariffs for yourself. Or if you prefer, you can answer a few questions and we will take care of comparing all the different electricity and gas tariffs and then make a customised recommendation.

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