Most of us do laundry a few times a week, or even daily, to avoid it piling up, but it turns out it could be costing us more money if we do it at the wrong time. While it may be convenient to throw on a load after work, this often falls during peak energy hours when the demand for electricity is high.
The experts at Love2Laundry have explained that doing laundry on a weekday after 4pm when people have finished work will lead to higher electricity charges as there is more strain on energy consumption. They said: “The best time to do laundry to save electricity is to avoid peak hours which are from 4pm to 8pm, and if you do laundry on the weekend, then you can save more electricity than the normal consumption.”
Since most people have their days off on the weekend, laundry times tend to vary more, which reduces pressure on the energy grid, making it more likely that energy companies will charge less.
However, the key to being smart with your money and cutting down on energy bills is to do laundry early in the morning or late in the evening, when electricity demand is lower.
The expert said: “As everyone knows, timing is everything for performing any type of task, including laundry as well. To be more precise, the best time to do laundry to save electricity is the off-peak hours.
“These hours start from 11pm to 7am, and the unit consumption is low during this time and when you run your washing machine for an hour or two non-stop, it won’t take a lot of electricity.”
If you want to cut down on your bills, run full loads instead of washing just a few clothes at a time to ensure you are being as efficient as possible when doing laundry.
It also tends to be better to do a cold wash cycle when you can, as you do not need electricity to heat the water, which will dramatically reduce the energy needed.
The expert said: “It might sound weird to you, but using cold water for washing your laundry works magic in terms of energy consumption.”
Bedding, towels, underwear, socks, and baby clothes should be washed on a hot cycle of at least 60C to kill germs and keep your laundry as hygienic as possible.
Clothes like everyday t-shirts, jeans, and leggings do not really need a hot water cycle on each wash unless they are stained.
Although it may take longer, taking advantage of hot weather and drying your laundry on a clothesline instead of using a tumble dryer is one of the best ways to cut down on electricity.
The expert said: “There’s no rocket science in understanding that if you use a dryer to dry your clothes and don’t select the best time to do laundry to save electricity, you’ll be shocked at how much it is when you see the bill. It’ll make you reconsider your decision to use the dryer again.”
By making a few simple adjustments to your laundry routine, you can reduce household energy consumption and potentially save money in the long run.