GE GTW538AW Running Cost (Washing Machine)
GE GTW538AW: running cost
At 175 kWh/yr, the GE GTW538AW's ENERGY STAR certification puts it one of the more expensive models in its category to run against every other certified washing machine.
That $33 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a washing machine
The category average is 123 kWh/yr; this model runs 42.3% above it, ranking 360 of 398 washing machines tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 398 washing machines ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $10/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the GE GTW538AW: GE GTW500AN ($33/yr, 175 kWh/yr), then GE GTW540AP ($33/yr, 175 kWh/yr).
Comparing GE's own models
Ranked 40 of GE's 41 certified washing machines, this sits between the GFW148SM ($18/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the GTW540AP ($33/yr, its priciest).
Cost over its typical lifespan
10 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $33/year, the GE GTW538AW adds up to about $329 in electricity over that span.
Weighing a replacement
The GE GTW538AW runs above its category average. If the washing machine you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $33/year every year.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
The GE GTW538AW already costs $33/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
Where this number comes from
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. The 175 kWh/yr figure is ENERGY STAR's own certification, not a wattage estimate; exact dataset IDs are on the data sources page.