Running cost comes down to wattage, hours and your rate. In Alabama the rate is 16.77 cents per kWh, which is 9.1 percent below the national average. Here is what that means for a washing machine.
A washing machine drawing 500 W costs $0.08 per hour in Alabama. Run 1 hours a day that is $0.08 daily, $2.52 a month and $30.61 a year, which is $3.05 less than the same appliance at the US average rate.
Washing machine cost at Alabama rates
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Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
Cost by hours used per day in Alabama
| Hours/day | Energy | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 0.50 kWh | $0.08 | $2.52 |
| 2 h | 1.00 kWh | $0.17 | $5.03 |
| 4 h | 2.00 kWh | $0.34 | $10.06 |
| 6 h | 3.00 kWh | $0.50 | $15.09 |
| 8 h | 4.00 kWh | $0.67 | $20.12 |
| 12 h | 6.00 kWh | $1.01 | $30.19 |
| 24 h | 12.00 kWh | $2.01 | $60.37 |
Cost by wattage at 16.77 cents
| Rated power | Per hour | Per day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 255 W | $0.04 | $0.04 | $1.28 |
| 400 W | $0.07 | $0.07 | $2.01 |
| 500 W | $0.08 | $0.08 | $2.52 |
| 800 W | $0.13 | $0.13 | $4.02 |
| 1,400 W | $0.23 | $0.23 | $7.04 |
Find the row matching the nameplate on your own unit. Within a single appliance category the spread is often wider than the difference between categories, so the label is worth reading.
What actually varies by state
Washing machine cycles run much the same regardless of climate; the wattage and cycle length barely change between Alabama and anywhere else. What genuinely differs here is the electricity rate itself, which is why this page exists at all rather than a single national figure.
Why Alabama pays what it does
Alabama is a regulated market, so your utility is the only supplier and the rate is set through the state commission rather than by competition. Pricing tends to be steadier than in deregulated states, and there is no switching decision available. The levers are all on your side of the meter.
At 16.77 cents, Alabama ranks 28 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive. The Southeast regional average is 16.16 cents. Roughly half of any residential bill is transmission and distribution rather than generation, which is why rates keep climbing even when fuel prices fall.
How this compares across the country
The same washing machine on the same schedule, in the cheapest and dearest states:
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $1.85 | $22.54 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $1.94 | $23.65 |
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $2.52 | $30.61 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $4.99 | $60.68 |
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $7.80 | $94.90 |
Lowering the number in Alabama
- Wash in cold water unless the load needs hot. Heating the water, not the motor, is what actually costs money.
- Run full loads. A half load uses nearly the same water and energy as a full one.
- Use a higher spin speed. Less water left in the load means less work for the dryer afterward.
- Clean the pump filter periodically. A blocked filter makes the machine work harder through every cycle.
Offsetting it with solar in Alabama
This load uses about 0.50 kWh a day. Covering that would take roughly 1 standard 400 W panels at typical sun hours, an array of about 0.40 kW. Because it offsets electricity worth 16.77 cents rather than the national 18.44 cents, the same array is worth less here than the national payback figures suggest.
Short cycles and modest draw make this one of the easier appliances to run on solar, provided you run it in daylight. Full sizing, including battery and inverter requirements, is on the solar sizing page for this appliance.