Running a clothes washer
in North Carolina
Meter reading
per year
110 kWh certified × 15.09¢ per kWh ÷ 100 — median of 390 listed models
Default: North Carolina residential average, 15.09¢ per kWh, EIA JUL 2026. Overwrite it with the rate printed on your own bill.
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·tariff North Carolina residential average 15.09¢ — EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
$16.60 a year A typical ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer uses 110 kWh a year. At North Carolina's average residential price of 15.09¢ per kWh, that is $16.60 a year, or $1.38 a month.
The tariff scales the whole rail; the model you buy is what moves the gate along it. The most efficient certified clothes washer on this tariff draws $5.89 a year, the least efficient $46.93 — a standing difference of $41.04 a year for an appliance doing the same job.
How this is worked out
- Take the certified annual consumption for the appliance class off the EPA's ENERGY STAR register — the median of every listed model, not a wattage anyone assumed.
- Take the residential tariff off the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A. Here that is North Carolina's residential average, 15.09¢ per kWh.
- Multiply, then divide by 100 to come out of cents. Nothing is rounded before this line.
- Derive the rest of the schedule from that one figure: ÷ 12 monthly, ÷ 365 daily, × 10 for a ten-year life.
- Overwrite the tariff terminal with the rate printed on your own bill and the register re-reads. The certified consumption does not move — that is the half of the sum nobody gets to opinion their way out of.
annual cost ($) = certified kWh per year × tariff ¢ per kWh ÷ 100
Every certified clothes washer, cheapest to run first
The register above reads the median. This is the whole list it was taken from, priced at North Carolina's tariff. Running cost only — purchase price, capacity and repair record are not in this column, and a cheap-to-run model is not automatically the right buy.
| # | Model | kWh/yr | Cost/yr | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hisense WF5S2845BB | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 2 | Hisense WF5S2845BT | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 3 | Hisense WF5S2845BW | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 4 | Premium Levella PWMF280HB | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 5 | Premium Levella PWMF280HT | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 6 | Premium Levella PWMF280HW | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 7 | Premium Levella PWMF286HS | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 8 | Premium Levella PWMF287HB | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 9 | TRUARCTIC TWF3124HSB | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 10 | TRUARCTIC TWF3124HST | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 11 | TRUARCTIC TWF3124HSW | 39 | $5.89 | saves $10.71 |
| 12 | Electrolux ELFW7337*** | 50 | $7.54 | saves $9.05 |
| 13 | Electrolux ELTE7300*** - | 50 | $7.54 | saves $9.05 |
| 14 | Electrolux ELTE730C*** - | 50 | $7.54 | saves $9.05 |
| 15 | Electrolux ELTG7300*** - | 50 | $7.54 | saves $9.05 |
| 16 | Frigidaire FWFX22D4EW | 50 | $7.54 | saves $9.05 |
| 17 | Speed Queen LWN6ZR**116T*** | 60 | $9.05 | saves $7.54 |
| 18 | Speed Queen LWN6ZR**119T*** | 60 | $9.05 | saves $7.54 |
| 19 | Midea MLH25N7BWW | 65 | $9.81 | saves $6.79 |
| 20 | Midea MLH27N4AWWC | 65 | $9.81 | saves $6.79 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·390 certified clothes washers on the register, listed by certified consumption·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the certification spread is worth on this tariff
| Certified models in this category | 390 |
|---|---|
| Lowest certified energy use | 39 kWh/yr — $5.89/yr |
| Median certified energy use | 110 kWh/yr — $16.60/yr |
| Highest certified energy use | 311 kWh/yr — $46.93/yr |
| Difference, best to worst | $41.04 a year |
| …over a 10-year life | $410.45 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·priced at North Carolina's residential average, 15.09¢ per kWh·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same clothes washer on 51 tariffs
| State | Price per kWh | Cost per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $57.20 | $4.77 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $36.58 | $3.05 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $32.92 | $2.74 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $32.41 | $2.70 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $31.70 | $2.64 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $31.49 | $2.62 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $31.05 | $2.59 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $30.11 | $2.51 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $30.06 | $2.51 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $27.94 | $2.33 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $27.38 | $2.28 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $26.23 | $2.19 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $25.60 | $2.13 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $24.21 | $2.02 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $23.95 | $2.00 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $23.70 | $1.98 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $21.71 | $1.81 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $21.47 | $1.79 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $21.32 | $1.78 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $19.96 | $1.66 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $19.37 | $1.61 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $18.64 | $1.55 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $18.48 | $1.54 |
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $18.45 | $1.54 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $18.08 | $1.51 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $17.90 | $1.49 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $17.80 | $1.48 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $17.78 | $1.48 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $17.78 | $1.48 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $17.42 | $1.45 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $17.30 | $1.44 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $16.75 | $1.40 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $16.69 | $1.39 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $16.64 | $1.39 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $16.60 | $1.38 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $16.48 | $1.37 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $16.45 | $1.37 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $16.28 | $1.36 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $16.14 | $1.34 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $15.92 | $1.33 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $15.80 | $1.32 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $15.56 | $1.30 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $15.55 | $1.30 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $15.53 | $1.29 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $15.05 | $1.25 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $14.97 | $1.25 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $14.96 | $1.25 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $14.95 | $1.25 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $14.72 | $1.23 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $14.26 | $1.19 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $13.59 | $1.13 |
One certified clothes washer at the median consumption of 110 kWh a year, wired to 51 different tariffs. Same appliance, same duty cycle, same certification — only the tariff changes.
SOURCE·US EIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A·retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Schedule notes
How much does it cost to run a clothes washer in North Carolina?
About $16.60 a year — $1.38 a month — for a typical ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer using 110 kWh annually, at North Carolina's average residential rate of 15.09¢ per kWh.
How much electricity does a clothes washer use?
Certified models range from 39 to 311 kWh a year, with a median of 110 kWh. That spread means the model you choose changes the running cost by $41.04 a year in North Carolina.
Is that more or less than the rest of the country?
North Carolina has the 35th highest residential electricity price of the 51 states and DC, at 15.09¢ against a national average of 19.41¢. The same clothes washer costs $21.35 a year at the national average — $4.75 more than you pay.
Will my bill actually go up by this much?
Only roughly. This is the certified test figure at your state's average price. Your own tariff, how heavily you use the appliance, and its age all move the real number. Older non-certified appliances often use considerably more.
Other circuits on the North Carolina tariff
Same tariff, same method, one certified median each.
Consumption: US EPA ENERGY STAR certified product data. Tariff: US EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28. Estimates for comparison only. Your actual bill depends on your tariff, how often you run the appliance, and local conditions.
