During high-use energy periods in the winter, meaning in the early morning hours when people click their heaters on to warm their houses, electricity costs more. So, you save a bundle by washing and drying clothes on winter evenings, when electricity usage is at a low level and rates are much lower.
According to the Daily Record, the most expensive time to use your washing machine or tumble dryer is between 4pm and 7pm. Energy prices are at their lowest between 10pm and 5am, but make sure you never leave it on over night as this could be a fire risk.
Try washing before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. – Many energy companies charge extra for electricity during their “peak hours,” which see increased energy usage. During the summer, run your washer early in the morning – energy use peaks on hot afternoons.
Take a look at your energy account and check your tariff rate. Most people will see that they have a lower tariff overnight, usually between 11 pm and 7 am. This is the best time to do your washing as you'll save money.
The late morning to early afternoon hours, between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is the best time of day to hang your clothes out to dry. During this part of the day, the sunshine will adequately dry and disinfect your clothes. The sun's powerful ultraviolet rays (UV) are their strongest in this timeframe.
While it's sometimes okay to dry laundry overnight, it's not the optimal time to do so. It's best to hang out washing between late morning and early afternoon when the sun is strongest.
Typically, a gas or electric dryer should take about 30 to 45 minutes to dry a full load of clothes. Dense fabrics—like a quilt or a load of thick bath towels—may take up to an hour to dry. If your dryer's taking too long to dry your laundry, it's important to figure out what's wrong instead of ignoring it.
Given that energy prices are at their lowest between 10pm and 5am, I would advise scheduling your washing machine to run into the early hours of the morning. Doing this can help you to significantly cut down energy costs."
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.
According to the Daily Record, the most expensive time to use your washing machine or tumble dryer is between 4pm and 7pm.
Run your machines later in the day
The most expensive time for you to wash or dry your clothes is between 4pm and 7pm, so try to avoid using your machines between these hours. Energy prices are at their lowest between 10pm and 5am – perfect for night owls and early risers.
Electricity is often cheaper late at night or early in the morning, so if you run your heaviest loads during those times, you'll be able to save on your electric bill. These are typical off-peak hours when not as many people are using electricity.
The best time of day to run your washer and dryer is early in the morning or at night to avoid the surge in price. “During the winter, electricity demand is highest in the morning hours between 7am and 9am when people are waking up and turning up their heat. Doing laundry in the evening is your safest bet.”
Electric dryers span a wide range of wattages, from about 2,000 to 6,000 watts. That translates to about 2 to 6 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Based on the national average rate of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, each hour of electric drying will cost somewhere between 24 and 72 cents, depending on the model.
When the EPA looked at various household appliances, the clothes dryer was the biggest energy hog. That's right. The average clothes dryer uses more electricity than the average refrigerator. But the amount of electricity used by one dryer isn't going to be the same as another – even if they are the same exact models.
1. Wash at a cold temperature. Since about 80 to 90 percent of each wash cycle's energy usage can be attributed to heating the water, one of the easiest ways to save on laundry is to turn down the temperature.
"Running your dishwasher at night is the most energy efficient and budget friendly time of day," says Poole. That's because nighttime tends to be off-peak hours for energy companies when the cost of running the dishwasher is a little lower.
3) Clothes dryers
To run a clothes dryer for one hour, you will need 4.6KW. That will cost you around $1.40 per hour.
Run your washer and dryer early in the morning or at night to avoid the surge. During the winter, electricity demand is highest in the morning hours between 7 and 9 am when people are waking up and turning up their heat. Doing laundry in the evening is your safest bet.
As long as you only run your dishwasher once it's fully loaded, it should cost you less than hand-washing.
This means it is best to do laundry during off-peak hours or when other households use energy less frequently. Generally, off-peak hours are between 11:00pm and 7:00am on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays, but check with your local energy provider for more details.
A single bath towel put in the tumble dryer on its own should dry within 10-30 minutes, depending on the model of dryer and the heat settings. A full load of towels is likely to take at least an hour to dry in a tumble dryer.
Some of the most common reasons include overloading the dryer, power sources issues, clothes being too wet, a dirty dryer lint screen, clogged dryer vents, or possible part malfunctions.
You Could Save Money By Using the Laundromat
The average cost per load at the laundromat is around $3-4. And the average cost per load at home is about $2-3 but this doesn't add in the cost of buying and maintaining your washer and dryer. The cost today of a washer and dryer is about $1,200 to $1,400 or more.