How much money (U.S.) does it cost to wash and dry one load of laundry?

I was given an assignment from my boss to evaluate the cost of how much money (U.S.) it costs to wash and dry one load of laundry.





I fully understand that there are a lot of variables; the size of the load, the heat, the economics of the washer and dryer, but I would just like a rough estimite.





I would greatly apreciate if you could give me a rough estimite.


Thanks very much!





-The internHow much money (U.S.) does it cost to wash and dry one load of laundry?
Here's how I would go about it.. you may need to do a little research into prices in your area.





Total up the following:





Washer:


- Water: Gallons of water (washer capacity) x cost/gallon (look on your water bill)


- Electric: Energy consumption per load (in KWhr)x cost per KWhr (look on your electric bill)


- Detergent: Divide the price you paid by the number of loads the bottle can give you


- Fabric Softener: Divide the price you paid by the number of loads the bottle can give you





Dryer:


- Electric: Energy consumption per load (in KWhr) x cost per KWhr (look on your electric bill)


- Dryer Sheet: Rough cost of a dryer sheet (price paid/# sheets in a box).





If you wanted to get really fancy, you could add in the cost of depreciation of the washer and dryer (I would only do this is you worked in a field where total cost of ownership of the appliance was important or your boss owned laundromats and the washer/dryer were capital expenses... or for a finance class).





Also for extra credit, once you have your answer, compare it to the cost of a load at the nearest laundromat. Don't forget to factor in the cost of gas to get there.





You have me curious now, so I am going to see if I can figure out how much it costs me and will come back and edit my answer with a rough cost.





EDIT:


My numbers may be off because I have the high efficiency/front load type of washer/dryer.. so my energy consumption for the washer and dryer is much less than on a standard dryer and it uses less water. These numbers could easily be 2x on a standard washer/dryer.





Wash (one load):


- Water: $0.00 (I pay $0.0006 per gallon, so cost was not material)


- Electric: $0.21 (0.4 KWhr/load at $0.5227/KWhr)


- Detergent: $0.14 (Tide bought in bulk)


- Fabric Softener: $0.05 (Downey bought in bulk)


Total: $0.40





Dry (one load):


- Electric: $0.16 (0.3 KWhr/load at $0.5227/KWhr)


- Dryer Sheet: $0.04


Total: $0.20





The depreciation worked out to be $0.20-$0.30 per load per appliance, but it depends on your assumptions and how much you paid.





Hope this helps!





Some sites that have facts and figures to help you out:


http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/equipment/english鈥?/a>


http://www.solarwindcanada.ca/misc/energ鈥?/a>How much money (U.S.) does it cost to wash and dry one load of laundry?
When I do my laundry at a Laundromat it costs me $2.00 to wash 1 large load and $1.00 to dry that load.