Cheapest hour: when to run the washing machine and the rest
Enter the run time and energy use of one cycle. The calculator searches the published quarter hours for the cheapest start from now on.
Cheapest start
tomorrow at 13:15
€0.21 for 1.00 kWh, done by 15:15
| Average all-in price in the window | 20.6 ct/kWh |
| At the most expensive time | €0.32 |
| Run time used | 2.00 h |
Exchange price + 0.00 ct markup + 10.72 ct grid fee + electricity tax 2.05 ct + levies 2.946 ct + concession fee, plus 19% VAT. Standing charge and meter fee not included.
Latest day with prices: 25 October 2026. Day-ahead wholesale prices: Bundesnetzagentur | SMARD.de (CC BY 4.0), fetched on 24 October 2026. Calculation: Radif Partners
On a dynamic tariff the cheapest hour for electricity is when the exchange price is lowest, because every other part of the price costs the same per kilowatt-hour at any time. For an appliance with a fixed run time it is the window that counts, not the single quarter hour: a washing machine that runs for two hours needs eight cheap quarter hours in a row. Over the last 30 days the cheapest hour on average started at 13:00 in Germany and at 13:00 in the Netherlands, and the dearest at 19:00 and 19:00. On 25 October 2026 the cheapest two-hour window in the Dutch zone runs from 12:00 to 14:00, at 10.6 ct/kWh all-in before any purchase fee, and the dearest from 17:30 to 19:30 at 26.1 ct/kWh. For a wash assumed at 1 kWh that is a difference of €0.16: small for one appliance, but the same spread matters a great deal for an electric car or a heat pump. On a fixed price, shifting saves nothing, though it eases the load on the grid.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Three appliances on 25 October 2026
| Appliance (example values) | Run time, energy | DE best start | DE cost | NL best start | NL cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washing machine, 40 °C | 2.0 h, 1.0 kWh | 13:15 | €0.21 | 12:00 | €0.11 |
| Dishwasher, eco | 3.0 h, 1.0 kWh | 03:15 | €0.21 | 11:00 | €0.11 |
| Heat pump dryer | 2.0 h, 2.0 kWh | 13:15 | €0.41 | 12:00 | €0.21 |
The pattern of the last 30 days
| Time of day | Germany all-in | Netherlands all-in |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 to 03:00 | 37.6 ct/kWh | 28.6 ct/kWh |
| 03:00 to 06:00 | 37.2 ct/kWh | 27.9 ct/kWh |
| 06:00 to 09:00 | 42.8 ct/kWh | 33.7 ct/kWh |
| 09:00 to 12:00 | 37.8 ct/kWh | 28.9 ct/kWh |
| 12:00 to 15:00 | 31.5 ct/kWh | 22.5 ct/kWh |
| 15:00 to 18:00 | 38.4 ct/kWh | 29.1 ct/kWh |
| 18:00 to 21:00 | 46.7 ct/kWh | 38.4 ct/kWh |
| 21:00 to 24:00 | 40.6 ct/kWh | 32.2 ct/kWh |
Exchange values come from Bundesnetzagentur | SMARD.de: wholesale electricity prices (CC BY 4.0). The German all-in price includes the average grid fee from the Federal Network Agency and Federal Cartel Office: Monitoring Report 2025, table 25, electricity tax, levies, concession fee and VAT; the Dutch one includes energy tax from the Environmental Taxes Act (Wbm), articles 59 and 63 (1 January 2026) and VAT. The pattern is an average, and a single day can look very different.
Large loads
For appliances using 1 to 2 kWh the stakes are cents. For an electric car taking 30 kWh, or a heat pump running for hours, the same price spread becomes a real amount: see EV charging cost and heat pump electricity price. Tomorrow’s prices appear in the early afternoon on electricity price tomorrow.