27 February 2023 , 15:05
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There is a very easy way you can cut the cost of running your washing machine and it often gets overlooked.
The current energy and cost of living crisis have taught us that washing machines can be very expensive to run and with energy bills set to go up again in April, it is going to get more costly.
However, there is a way you can cut the cost and save a small fortune over the course of the year.
All you need to do is simply turn your washing machine on its eco setting.
This can really be considered a simple and easy option too as the majority of washing machines these days are built with this setting in.
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Your washing machine's eco mode is essentially just a program that uses lower wash and rinses temperatures so less energy is required for heating.
Usually, the factors at play with an eco wash and are the time, temperature and water.
There is no standard for appliance eco modes, however, every brand and appliance will have a different combination of time, temperature and water parameters to achieve energy savings.
It might sound counterintuitive, but eco mode cycles are often longer than their regular cycles at around three to four hours long on average.
This is because the bulk of energy used by the machine comes from heating the water – the electricity needed to turn the drum or power the sprayers is comparatively much less.
If the wash cycle is longer, the water doesn’t need to be heated up as much as in shorter programmes.
According to the retailer Currys, using a lower temperature wash will use anywhere from 35% to 59 % less energy compared to a normal, hot temperature cycle.
However, how much you'll save by using the eco setting will depend on several factors such as the specific washing machine model your usage, and your electric bill.
Research by Uswitch found that a typical household could save around £37 a year by using the eco mode.
Generally speaking, the eco mode is almost always worth using.
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This is because the setting has been fine-tuned to work as effectively as possible.
Although, if you have a particularly muddy set of clothes in need of a wash, you may be better off using a different setting.
Otherwise, you run the risk of having to run the appliance for a second time, which would use far more energy overall.