Model
Lg SWWE50*3
Rank #87 means 86 of the 388 washing machine models we track cost less to run each year; the 88th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 88% of those models.
What does the Lg SWWE50*3 cost to run per year?
Among the 388 washing machine models we track, the Lg SWWE50*3 sits in the below-average-cost group, rank #87, at roughly $18 a year. Its size-adjusted efficiency percentile of 88 sits well above the class median, a clearly above-average efficiency result. Its IMEF of 2.92 reflects integrated modified energy factor, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Ge GFW148S*M*** at $18/yr runs a little cheaper and the Lg SWWE50*4 at $18/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A washing machine typically stays in service for somewhere around 10 years; over that span, the Lg SWWE50*3's $18/yr adds up to roughly $180 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Lg SWWE50*4, Lg SWWG50*3, Lg SWWG50*4, Lg WM5800H*A, Lg WM6998H*A, Lg WKEX300H*A, Lg WKGX301H*A, Lg WKHC252H*A, Samsung WF50A86**A*, Samsung WF50BG83**A*.
By the numbers
The Lg SWWE50*3 normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $18/yr, here is what the Lg SWWE50*3 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Lg SWWE50*3 costs about $180. That is roughly $20 less than the class median, which would run closer to $200 over the same ten years.
How the Lg SWWE50*3 compares
The washing machine class we track runs from $7 to $58 a year. At $18/yr, it runs about $2 a year cheaper than the class median of $20, and it is about $11 a year more than the cheapest washing machine to run at $7.
What drives its running cost
At 5 cu ft, the Lg SWWE50*3 is a mid-size washing machine for its class, which spans 1.9 to 6 cu ft with a median of 4.5 cu ft, putting it squarely in the middle of the class on the size lever that drives most of the cost. Beyond size, its IMEF of 2.92, above the class median of 2.76, is the class's own efficiency yardstick, integrated modified energy factor, and it is what separates two similarly sized models with different running costs.
- Spin and wash efficiency (IMEF). IMEF is this class's core efficiency yardstick; two washers with the same drum size can carry meaningfully different IMEF figures and running costs.
- Drum volume. A larger-capacity washer can wash more per load, which can lower cost per pound of laundry, but it also draws more water and energy per cycle if you are not filling it.
- Water heating. Most washers rely on your home's hot water supply, but internal-heater sanitize or hot-wash cycles use meaningfully more electricity than a cold or warm wash.
Common questions
Is the Lg SWWE50*3 cheap to run?
Yes. Its $18/yr running cost puts it at rank #87 of 388, below what most washing machine models we track cost to run.
How much does the Lg SWWE50*3 cost per month?
About $1.53 a month, which is the $18 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 99 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $18 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Lg SWWE50*3 for its size?
88th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 86 | Ge GFW148S*M***2.4 cu ft | $18 |
| 85 | Samsung WH46DBH5**G*4.6 cu ft | $18 |
| 84 | Samsung WH46DBH55*E*4.6 cu ft | $18 |
| 83 | Samsung WH46DBH50*E*4.6 cu ft | $18 |
| 82 | Samsung WF46BG65**A*4.6 cu ft | $18 |
Source
ES_1118034_SWWE50*3_12202022042200_80153530View certified washing machine listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Lg and SWWE50*3 are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.