Eco Wash for 3.25 hours cheaper than full load 45 minutes?

poopyhead

My washing machine has a number of settings.

Would full load 45 minutes at 40 degrees or any other settings be cheaper to run than Eco Wash for 3.25 hours at 40 to 60 degrees ?

Google results tend to return "money saving expert" media dummies droning on off topic then going on about eco setting saving water.

I want to know about my electric bill not water.

Any thoughts or experience about this ?

Alun

Difficult to say. The easiest way to tell would be to actually measure it. Get an energy monitoring smart plug like the TP-Link Tapo P110 and just do one of each wash to compare.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Tapo-Monitoring-Required-Tapo-P110/dp/B097YBXHTW/ref%3Dsr_1_5?crid=E2WLH6DXYTS5&keywords=tapo%2Bp110m%2Bsmart%2Bplug&qid=1699978189&sprefix=tapo%2Bp110m%2Bsmart%2Bplug%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-5&th=1

You can cheaper ones, with LCD displays and nasty cheap rubber buttons, but you'd regret it :)

Boardnashea

My local library had a small set of tools, including a plug-in meter for various household energy savings measurements. Not very advanced but interesting to try out.

kirk.

Ya can always switch everything else in the house off its that's doable

And then check the usage for each wash at the meter

I presume then the ECO refers to volume of water used?

kirk.

That mightn't be a great idea though

Does it not specify approximate electricity use for the washes in the manual

3.25 hours is a seriously long wash

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121368125#Comment_121368125

This is all the go with new machines. I suppose it's just to give the detergent a chance to work

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058322588/eco-wash-for-3-25-hours-cheaper-than-full-load-45-minutes

The electricity usage from your washing machine is mostly heating the water, an eco setting uses less water (so less water to heat) usually at a slightly lower temp for a longer period to make up for less water.

i monitored mine with one of those plug monitored and got these results

the easy care programme is 2.5 hours, mixed load is 1.5, super quick is 30 minutes, super quick is only 3kg of clothes compared to 4kg for other 2. I am guessing the super quick isnt any better because it uses a bit more water to compensate for a shorter time.

The only thing i wash at 60 degrees is the bed sheets sometimes. You will get away with 20 degrees for lightly soiled stuff. i wash almost all our soiled clothes at 30.

The difference between 30 and 60 is about half the electric.

These are obviously different for different machines but im sure the principles are similar

Padre_Pio

As above, Eco modes are more water saving than power saving,for countries where people pay for domestic water.

wandererz

Lets put on a wash at 40C, 44mins and 1000rpm.

@0.277kWh and @ €0.25 per KwH with Flogas that works out to about €0.7 for a wash between 2-3am (off peak hrs).

wandererz

Drying cycle is now on since about 3AM at iron setting, so it will be slightly damp.

Going to take approximately 2hrs 45mins.

Lets see what the stats say afterwards.

wandererz

Previous wash/dry cycle was 2.563kWh @ 0.25 per KwH and 0.5/kwH.

Total of €0.84 for a wash and dry at off-peak hours.

wandererz

If you have an AAA rated machine then the cost is negligible. Especially if using at night.

<€1 per wash and dry

wandererz

Washer Specs:

- Energy consumption washing per cycle1.2 kWh

wandererz

Total for a 45 min wash and 2hr dry was 1.63kWh @ €0.25 /kwH = €0.41

First bar on the graph was the wash cycle.

wandererz

Doesn't make sense right?

Let me sleep on it.

wandererz

Had to wait for things to populate properly.

The first bar at 0.277KWh is the wash cycle @40C for 45mins,1000rpm

The next two bars the 1st dry cycle.

I had to put on a second cycle though.

Wash cycle @0.277kWh and @€0.25 =€0.069

For the wash and 2 dry cycles total is 3.263kWh = €0.82

I wouldn’t buy a washing machine that doesn’t have a time saver option. Most of those ultra eco cycles are about saving water, not energy.

A cool wash, with more water on a shorter cycle will be a lot more energy efficient than stewing the washing at 30-40°C for hours. They’re basically using tiny amounts of water and tumbling a lot more push it though the clothes.

The better machines tend to have more options and also seem to be able to power their way through cycles faster - likely things like more expensive components that allow more torque for the motor etc, recirculating pumps, scooping systems that cascade water etc etc all help speed things up. Cheap and cheerful is just going to rely on long, slow washes.

We’ve a fairly high end machine and it intermittently rotates the clothes at nearly spin cycle speed, sticking them to the drum, while recirculating and the wash water though a nozzle with a pump - forces the water through them, so can complete a full heavy cottons cycle in 60 mins. That takes a serious motor and control system I assume, so you pay a bit more but saves a lot of time and energy.

Sleeper12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121369168#Comment_121369168

They are actually both. Because they use less water there is less water to heat up. Less water heated up the cheaper it is to run. The run is much longer because with less water it leaves longer time between cycles to allow the less water to soak in.

Eco is cheaper to run BUT you are talking pennies cheaper per run. I'd rather do non eco to have shorter runs. Having it finished & power off before we go to bed is less of a fire hazard compared to leaving it running while we are asleep

Asdfgh2020

What’s so eco friendly about saving a few litres of water…?

smuggler.ie

"every little helps", great idea..... as many other

but in general its all BS, illusion to satisfy your consciousness that you are "good guy".

Similar to EV - you dont care that producing batteries polluted environment, as long it was not you directly and not on your soil

Let me link this here

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121364393/#Comment_121364393

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058322588/eco-wash-for-3-25-hours-cheaper-than-full-load-45-minutes

Read the manual, it will tell you how much kwh is used per setting

Just bare in mind they've used a German style comma rather than a decimal point so those are 1.2kWh per cycle etc.

SCOOP 64

My Bosch Dishwasher Eco wash 4.30 hrs never use it , quick wash 1hr 5 minutes which I always use, I don't know could the Eco wash be cheaper?

eeepaulo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121388056#Comment_121388056

I have a bosch slimline dishwasher, its about 5 years old, not an expensive one, i got

its not a big difference but 0.25 kwh 200 times a year is 50 kwh,

893bet

Not sure a short 40 minute cycle is designed for a full load.

I know on my machine the “daily load” type setting is around 40 minutes but is supposed to be limited to 3kg load vs a full 40 degree full wash at 7kg.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121387620#Comment_121387620

I'm struggling to understand all this too😁

It depends where you are. For example, if you're in a country with a lot of focus on water savings due to climate issues e.g. Spain, then eco saving a lot of water is a big deal.

wandererz

This is what the AI has to say about the OP's original question.

Typically, shorter cycles with lower temperatures consume less energy. The full load at 45 minutes and 40 degrees might be more energy-efficient than the Eco Wash for 3.25 hours at varying temperatures. However, it's also essential to consider the specific energy efficiency ratings of your washing machine and the types of clothes you're washing.

"Eco mode" in washing machines generally refers to electricity savings rather than water savings.

It usually involves using lower temperatures and optimizing the wash cycle to reduce energy consumption.

Some machines may also adjust water usage, but the primary focus is on minimizing electricity use during the wash.

Sleeper12

Water isn't free. The local council pay to filter, treat and pump the water to your home. Apart from the financial cost of this, there is an environmental cost to it. Wasting water helps increase our carbon footprint in Ireland.

If everyone can reduce water use by a few litres per day it can make a difference. That's not to say that I use Eco mode all the time

The Red Ace

Most people will want the wash done as economically as possible, have you ever thought how Granny got over the problem in pre automatic washer days, she steeped them overnight. Washers will adjust the water volume according to size of load, if you put on your wash for the shortest wash let it tumble for two or three minutes and stop it again . If done overnight you will have a perfectly clean wash done in the morning while the kettle boils

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121413616#Comment_121413616

Good thinking so let the clothes soak and then finish the wash AM ?

DC999

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121413616#Comment_121413616

Spot on. Took me a while to understand how a long 'eco' wash or even a long dishwasher cycle could cost less.

But they do at least on new models. I tested them with energy monitors and someone else shows their stats above. Manual also shows both the water usage and energy consumption. Energy consumption matters more to me and that also tends to have lower water consumption.

The eco mode will slosh the water around for ages and that uses very low energy. Heating the water is the very expensive part. Less water means less heating.

cbreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121418564#Comment_121418564

There's a rinse programme that I sometimes use with the rinse hold turned on overnight. Then drain out and use the quick low temperature 30C wash the next day, using one of the low temperature wash pods.