Laundromat electricity cost calculator
Estimate the electricity portion of a laundromat’s monthly utility cost. The model separates total energy from the highest billed demand so you can see what usage and machine concurrency each contribute.
Commercial electricity bill
of this estimate comes from the highest measured interval, not total energy use.
Example bill for an 18,000 kWh laundromat
At 18,000 kWh and $0.12/kWh, a 58 kW billed peak at $18/kW, a $95 fixed charge, and 4.5% in taxes and riders produces an illustrative electricity estimate of about $3,447 per month. Approximately $1,044 of that scenario is the demand charge. Your actual result depends on the tariff, machine mix, fuel choices, and customer volume.
Start with the laundromat’s fuel map
Before comparing one store with another, identify which loads use electricity and which use natural gas. A location with gas-fired dryers and water heating can have a lower electric bill but a significant gas bill. An all-electric location may concentrate more operating cost and peak demand on the electric meter.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that laundry water efficiency can also produce energy savings because less hot water needs to be heated. ENERGY STAR says certified commercial clothes washers are, on average, 9% more energy efficient and use about 45% less water than standard models. Those are product-category comparisons, not guaranteed store-level savings.
A practical bottom-up estimate
| Load | Best measurement | Common estimation mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Washers | Cycles × measured kWh per cycle | Assuming every machine runs continuously. |
| Electric dryers | Input kW × loaded runtime | Ignoring cycling and partial loads. |
| Water heating | Hot-water volume and heater efficiency | Leaving electric water heat out of the peak. |
| HVAC and lighting | Schedule or interval data | Using store-open hours for every load. |
How to reduce uncertainty before investing
- Collect at least 12 months of electric, gas, water, and sewer bills.
- Record washer cycles and dryer minutes by machine size for a normal week.
- Check whether the electric tariff includes demand charges, time-of-use periods, or ratchets.
- Separate baseload from customer-driven load by comparing closed and busy intervals.
- Use submetering or temporary loggers before replacing the highest-cost equipment.
Cold-water programs, high-extraction-speed washers, water reuse, efficient dryers, and better sequencing may reduce costs, but each option should be evaluated against customer requirements, utility prices, equipment capacity, and maintenance needs.
Frequently asked questions
What uses the most energy in a laundromat?
The answer depends on the fuel mix. Electric dryers and electric water heating can dominate electricity use, while gas-fired dryers and water heaters shift much of that cost to the gas bill. HVAC, lighting, vending, and machine controls add smaller loads.
Can starting several machines together increase the bill?
It can when the utility applies a demand charge. Overlapping electric dryers, water heating, HVAC, and washer extraction can raise the highest measured kW interval even if monthly kWh changes little.
Does the calculator include water and sewer charges?
No. It calculates electricity charges only. Water, sewer, natural gas, maintenance, rent, and payment-processing costs should be modeled separately.