GE GTW490ACJ2WS Running Cost (Washing Machine)
GE GTW490ACJ2WS: running cost
At 133 kWh/yr, the GE GTW490ACJ2WS's ENERGY STAR certification puts it more expensive than most models in its category to run against every other certified washing machine.
The $25 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
GE GTW490ACJ2WS against the category
That's 8.1% above the washing machine category average of 123 kWh/yr, and ranks 275 of 398 certified washing machines for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. The category average comes from every washing machine ENERGY STAR currently certifies (398 models), not an outside benchmark, about $2/year above that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
GE GTW490ACJ3WS ($25/yr, 133 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the GE GTW490ACJ2WS. Whirlpool WFW5605M ($24/yr, 130 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Same brand, different models
GE makes 41 ENERGY STAR certified washing machines; this one ranks 2 of 41 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the GFW148SM at $18/yr, and its priciest, the GTW540AP at $33/yr.
Cost over its typical lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical washing machine's service life at 10 years; run the GE GTW490ACJ2WS that long and it costs about $250 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
Running above the category average, $25/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
Protecting what you have
The GE GTW490ACJ2WS already costs $25/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
Sourcing
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 133 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. The full Washing Machine category page shows all 398 washing machines ranked by cost; the state-rate guide covers the half of this number that isn't the appliance.