My husband and I have an ongoing debate. He says it uses more electricity when I run the clothes washer and dryer at the same time. I say it uses the same amount as it does to run them one at a time.Does it use more electricity when running both washer and dryer?
he is right... you get charged kilowatt per hour. Does it use more electricity when running both washer and dryer?
You are right. Your husband does have a point though.
By using both washer and dryer at the same time, you are using more electricity at the time they are both running, than if you were to run the washer, then the dryer, then the washer, then the dryer. What you are doing is increasing your peak load. While peak load might not matter to you as a household, imagine if everyone did their washing AND their drying at the same time (say, 5pm to 6pm every Monday). That would cause a spike in overall usage on the system, and since the utilities have to generate enough power at all times to meet whatever peak demand is or might conceivably be, that would mean they would have to generate more in order to be able to deliver enough power for everyone to do a load of washing and a load of drying all at once.
So by not using multiple appliances at the same time, you won't change at all the amount of energy you are consuming, but you will change your peak load, and that may indirectly change the amount of energy the utility is generating. (Note that some commercial customers pay a rate for kilowatt hours used, as well as a rate for the peak load through the month; this is to encourage businesses to cut their peak loads.)
One of the main problems with peak power is that during peak power loads is the time when coal, the dirtiest form of generation, is most often burnt to generate electricity. So by doing your bit to avoid peaking your own power use, you are possibly helping reduce the amount of coal being burnt on your behalf.
But more important than not washing and drying at the same time would be trying to do your washing and your drying late at night when there is very low demand. That's why so many ENERGY STAR washers and dryers come with delay timers, so you can set the wash or dry cycle at 10pm but not have it start until 1 or 2 am when demand is very low. This doesn't save you energy but it saves the system energy.
If you're paying a tiered rate for electricity, as more and more areas are, you'll definitely save by running your washer and dryer overnight as you sleep.
More than you asked for, but I hope it will help settle this debate and return you and your husband to marital bliss!
it is the same. If you were a business with 300 washers and 300 dryers, you would have a demand meter that has a portion of the bill based on how many things are on at once. But, as a house, you do not have a demand meter. You pay only on your usage.
if you bet, Have him pay up of I will send over my friend Tony!
And for those that stuff your washer and dryer full, you are wasting energy! Dryer energy use is dependant on how dry the clothes are going into it and how much room they have to quickly move the moisture out!! Overloading the washers doesn't let the spin cycle work efficently, so the clothes go to the dryer to wet. then stuffing the dryer to much won't let the clothes stuck in the middle to dry and the hot air just over heats the outer items and the energy goes out the vent and not into the drying.
Hm, I would think that it uses the same amount. If you would like to save electricity, I recommend hanging your clothes outside to dry. It saves you money, makes your clothes feel fresh (especially bedding) and doesn't wear as much on the fabrics.
I pack my washing machine down, use cold water, and use small amounts of water, and when I run the dryer- I pack it full of wet clothes to get everything at one time.
You are correct..
Same amount...
YES MMMMMMMMMMMUUUUUUCHHHHHHHHH more .but a way to save 5$ is wash clothes with cold water
