Model
Whirlpool WTW7120H**
Rank #386 means 385 of the 388 washing machine models we track cost less to run each year; the 11th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 11% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WTW7120H** cost to run per year?
Rank #386 of 388 puts the Whirlpool WTW7120H** among the priciest washing machine models we track to keep running, at roughly $49 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it lags most of the class, ahead of only 11% of the models we track. At a IMEF of 2.06, 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 Whirlpool WTW8127L** at $48/yr runs a little cheaper and the Maytag MVW7232H** at $50/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 Whirlpool WTW7120H**'s $49/yr adds up to roughly $490 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs. At rank #386 of 388, it sits at the very top of the cost range for its class, among the single priciest models we track to run.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WTW7120H** 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 $49/yr, here is what the Whirlpool WTW7120H** adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Whirlpool WTW7120H** costs about $490. That is roughly $290 more than the class median, which would run closer to $200 over the same ten years.
How the Whirlpool WTW7120H** compares
The washing machine class we track runs from $7 to $58 a year. At $49/yr, it runs about $29 a year above the class median of $20, and it is about $42 a year more than the cheapest washing machine to run at $7.
What drives its running cost
At 5.3 cu ft, the Whirlpool WTW7120H** is a large washing machine for its class, which spans 1.9 to 6 cu ft with a median of 4.5 cu ft, size is usually the single biggest lever behind a running-cost figure, and at this end of the range there is more capacity to service, which tends to push the number up. The IMEF of 2.06 on this model, below the class median of 2.76, measures integrated modified energy factor; it is the number to compare directly against another model's IMEF if capacity is similar.
- 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 Whirlpool WTW7120H** cheap to run?
Its $49/yr running cost, rank #386 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 Whirlpool WTW7120H** cost per month?
About $4.07 a month, which is the $49 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: 263 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $49 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WTW7120H** for its size?
11th 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
Source
ES_15649_WTW7120H**_09112019230848_3328578View certified washing machine listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WTW7120H** 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.