Model
Ge GTW490ACJ5WS
Rank #267 means 266 of the 388 washing machine models we track cost less to run each year; the 44th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 44% of those models.
What does the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS cost to run per year?
At roughly $25 a year to run, ranking #267 of 388, the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS costs more than the typical washing machine model we track. Capacity-normalized, it ranks ahead of 44% of washing machine models we track, right in the class's middle band. Its IMEF of 2.07 reflects integrated modified energy factor, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Ge GTW490ACJ4WS at $25/yr runs a little cheaper and the Ge GTW490ACJ6WS at $25/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 Ge GTW490ACJ5WS's $25/yr adds up to roughly $250 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Ge GTW490ACJ2WS.
By the numbers
The Ge GTW490ACJ5WS 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 $25/yr, here is what the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS costs about $250. That is roughly $50 more than the class median, which would run closer to $200 over the same ten years.
How the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS compares
The washing machine class we track runs from $7 to $58 a year. At $25/yr, it runs about $5 a year above the class median of $20, and it is about $18 a year more than the cheapest washing machine to run at $7.
What drives its running cost
At 4.4 cu ft, the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS is a small washing machine for its class, which spans 1.9 to 6 cu ft with a median of 4.5 cu ft, at the small end of the class, capacity itself is doing a lot of the work to keep that figure down, separate from how efficient the unit actually is. Its IMEF of 2.07, below the class median of 2.76, reflects integrated modified energy factor: a higher figure means it wrings more useful work out of every kilowatt-hour, so it is the efficiency lever to weigh against raw size.
- 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 Ge GTW490ACJ5WS cheap to run?
Its $25/yr running cost, rank #267 of 388, is above what most washing machine models we track cost to run, so this is not one of the cheaper picks on electricity alone.
How much does the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS cost per month?
About $2.06 a month, which is the $25 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: 133 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $25 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Ge GTW490ACJ5WS for its size?
44th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is not the main reason for the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 269 | Ge GTW490ACJ4WS4.4 cu ft | $25 |
| 268 | Ge GTW490ACJ3WS4.4 cu ft | $25 |
| 267 | Ge GTW490ACJ2WS4.4 cu ft | $25 |
| 266 | Whirlpool WFW5605M**4.5 cu ft | $24 |
| 265 | Samsung WF56H91**C*5.6 cu ft | $24 |
Source
ES_1123206_GTW490ACJ5WS_05072018173126_4286987View certified washing machine listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Ge and GTW490ACJ5WS 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.