The price to use washing and drying machines in most residence halls rose by 25 cents this August, due to the mounting cost of water and electricity in the District, a University official said this week.

Students must now pay $1.50 to use each appliance in all residence halls except 1957 E Street, 2109 F Street, The Dakota and Townhouse Row, said Nancy Haaga, managing director of Campus Support Services.

“This cost increase . is directly attributed to significant increases in the cost of overall utilities,” Haaga wrote in an e-mail.

She added that the price for laundry machine repairs has also gone up. The University uses Caldwell and Gregory, Inc. for the maintenance of its laundry facilities in the 32 residence halls affected by the laundry price increase.

The last increase was in 2003 for 25 cents, when the University installed new laundry machines that could accommodate more clothes and use water more effectively, she said.

Before the University raised the cost to wash and dry, they conducted a survey of laundry prices at local universities and laundromats. Haaga said that the University’s new rates are among the lowest in the D.C. area and among colleges nationwide.