IS IT cheaper to do your laundry at night or during the day? When is the best time to do laundry? How much does it even matter? Believe it or not, there is an optimal time of day to do laundry to cut back on your energy use and save money, according to experts.
The cost of living crisis means many households are looking to cut back where they can – especially on energy bills . The Ofgem energy price cap is currently set at £1,971 a year but is due to rise to a staggering £3,549 from October 1. So, for those busy trying to figure out ways to budget their energy bills without making too many compromises, experts at Mulberrys Garment Care have shared the cheapest times to do laundry to avoid paying more.
They said: “Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to avoid doing laundry (or using other major electrical appliances) during your energy company’s ‘peak hours’, aka the time of day when the electricity demand and price per kWh are highest.”
Peak hours vary per season and depend on where you live. In hotter climates, for example, demand will be up during the summer months (when everyone is cranking their air conditioning) and lower during the winter months, since temperatures won’t get so cold that everyone needs to blast their heat.
Homeowners may be able to check with their energy company to see if they have further information on specific or seasonal peak hours.
So when is the best time of day to do laundry in order to save money? The laundry experts said: “Peak hours are typically when people return from work, around 4pm to 8pm. Try to do your laundry outside of this range.
“During the summer, peak hours are concentrated in the hot afternoons and into the evening, from around 10 or 11 in the morning until 8pm. The best time of day to run your washer and dryer is early in the morning or at night to avoid the surge in price.
“During the winter, electricity demand is highest in the morning hours between 7am and 9am when people are waking up and turning up their heat. Doing laundry in the evening is your safest bet.”
The laundry pros have also shared other ways to save money when doing laundry, one of which is to try to always use cold water.
They said: “Using cold water is up to 17 times cheaper per load compared to hot water. In fact, almost 90 percent of the energy associated with running the washing machine comes from heating the water.
“Cold water is also gentlest on clothes, as hot water can shrink some types of fabric and can make colours bleed.”