Upgrade your washer with clear costs and realistic usage. Compare utility savings, rebates, and payback. Make better laundry decisions with confidence today every time.
| Scenario | Cycles/week | Old kWh/cycle | New kWh/cycle | Old gal/cycle | New gal/cycle | Electricity $/kWh | Water $/1,000 gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical household | 5 | 0.70 | 0.35 | 27 | 14 | 0.20 | 4.50 |
| High usage | 9 | 0.85 | 0.42 | 30 | 15 | 0.24 | 6.00 |
| Low usage | 3 | 0.60 | 0.32 | 25 | 13 | 0.18 | 3.80 |
Washer upgrades can lower total laundry costs by reducing water, sewer, and electricity use per cycle. Homes running 3–10 cycles weekly often see meaningful annual savings, especially when replacing older high‑fill machines. If your household runs 5 cycles weekly, that is about 260 cycles per year. Use your real cycle count rather than guessing, because frequency strongly drives savings and payback speed.
Many utilities bill sewer as a percentage of water use, so the calculator applies a sewer multiplier to the water rate. A drop from 27 to 14 gallons per cycle saves 13 gallons each load. At 5 cycles weekly, that is about 3,380 gallons yearly. At $4.50 per 1,000 gallons and a 1.00 sewer multiplier, that equals roughly $30.40 per year in combined charges. Higher local rates amplify these gains.
Electricity savings are modeled from kWh per cycle. Cutting usage from 0.70 to 0.35 kWh saves 0.35 kWh each load. At 260 cycles yearly, that is 91 kWh saved. At $0.20 per kWh, that is about $18.20 per year. If you use longer cycles or heavier loads, baseline kWh may be higher, increasing the upgrade benefit.
Annual savings combine electricity, water and sewer, detergent differences, and maintenance changes. A $0.03 detergent reduction saves about $7.80 yearly at 260 cycles. Net upfront cost includes price, delivery, haul‑away, installation, and optional tax, then subtracts rebates and trade‑in credits. Simple payback equals net cost divided by annual savings. The break‑even year is when cumulative savings turn positive, helping compare models.
Net present value discounts future savings using your selected discount rate, helping compare upgrades with different costs. A positive NPV suggests the upgrade creates value over the analysis window. If NPV is negative, try extending the analysis years, applying realistic rebates, or updating cycle counts. Use the chart to confirm cumulative cashflow rises steadily.
Use an annual average cycles per week. If winter is busier, estimate a weighted average based on how many months you run higher loads.
Check product specification sheets, efficiency labels, and manuals. For an older washer, use typical values for a similar capacity and age if exact data is missing.
No. It estimates direct washer electricity plus water and sewer charges. If your hot-water energy is significant, your real savings may be higher.
Pick a personal hurdle rate, often 4%–10%. Higher rates make future savings worth less today and reduce NPV.
Payback is unavailable when annual savings are zero or negative. Confirm the old washer uses more kWh and water than the new one, and verify your rates.
Yes. Run each model with the same utility rates and cycle count, then compare annual savings, payback, NPV, and lifetime net savings.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.