Model
Lg SWWG50*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 SWWG50*3 cost to run per year?
At about $18 a year, the Lg SWWG50*3 undercuts most washing machine models we track on running cost, rank #87 of 388. Few washing machine models we track beat it on size-adjusted efficiency; it edges out 88% of the class once capacity is normalized. At a IMEF of 2.92, its integrated modified energy factor is the single figure that best explains how it earns its running-cost number.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Lg SWWE50*4 at $18/yr runs a little cheaper and the Lg SWWG50*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 SWWG50*3's $18/yr adds up to roughly $180 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Lg SWWE50*3.
By the numbers
The Lg SWWG50*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 SWWG50*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 SWWG50*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 SWWG50*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 SWWG50*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, right in the middle of the capacity range, so capacity is roughly a wash compared with the rest of the class. Its IMEF of 2.92, above 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 Lg SWWG50*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 SWWG50*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 SWWG50*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 |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | Lg SWWE50*45 cu ft | $18 |
| 87 | Lg SWWE50*35 cu ft | $18 |
| 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 |
Source
ES_1118034_SWWG50*3_12202022042200_80153530View certified washing machine listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Lg and SWWG50*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.