Laundromat: Utility Cost Per Load

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Vend price is the easy half. The other half is what each cycle actually costs you in water, power, and gas — three small numbers that decide whether a $3.50 wash is a good business.

Quick formula: Three utilities, one total:

=SUM(B2*C2,D2*E2,F2*G2)

25 gallons at $0.012, 0.6 kWh at $0.14, and 0.05 therms at $1.20 comes to $0.444 a load.

Functions used (tap for the full reference guide):

SUM

The example

Three machines on the floor, each with its own consumption per cycle.

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
1	Machine	Gal	$/gal	kWh	$/kWh	Therms	Cost
2	Top loader	25	0.012	0.6	0.14	0.05	$0.444
3	20 lb front	18	0.012	0.35	0.14	0.04	$0.313
4	40 lb front	32	0.012	0.55	0.14	0.09	$0.569

The formula

Each utility is a quantity times a rate; SUM adds the three products:

=SUM(B2*C2,D2*E2,F2*1.2) // water + electricity + gas, per cycle

How it works

Cost the cycle the way the meters bill you:

B2*C2 is water — gallons per cycle times your combined water and sewer rate per gallon. Sewer is usually the bigger half.
D2*E2 is electricity for the motor and controls, in kWh times your rate.
F2*1.2 is the gas that heats the water, in therms times your gas rate.
SUM(...) totals the three so you can compare it against the vend price.

At $0.444 a load and a $3.50 vend, utilities eat about 13% of the ticket — before rent, labor, and card fees.

Try it: interactive demo

Interactive

Enter the consumption and rates for one cycle.

Gallons

$ per gallon

kWh

$ per kWh

Therms

$ per therm

Variations

Utility cost as a percent of vend

The number that actually tells you whether to raise prices.

=G2/H2

Monthly utility cost per machine

Multiply by turns per day and days in the month.

=G2*I2*30

Pitfalls & errors

Use the combined water and sewer rate. Sewer is often billed on water volume and can cost more than the water itself — leave it out and you understate the load by half.

Gas heats the water, so a hot-wash cycle and a cold-wash cycle are not the same load. Keep separate rows if your mix leans one way.

Practice workbook

📊

Download the free Laundromat: Utility Cost Per Load practice workbook

Edit the yellow consumption and rate cells; cost per load recalculates.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find gallons per cycle?

The machine's spec sheet lists it, usually as gallons per pound of capacity. Verify against a water bill divided by turn counts — real-world numbers run higher than the label.

Should I include the dryer?

Price it as a separate row. Dryers use gas and electricity but no water, so mixing them into a wash row distorts both.

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Function references: SUM