Model
Whirlpool WED5220R**
Rank #299 means 298 of the 615 clothes dryer models we track cost less to run each year; the 50th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 50% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WED5220R** cost to run per year?
Ranking #299 of 615, the Whirlpool WED5220R** runs at roughly $113 a year, neither the cheapest nor the priciest in its class. Adjusted for size, it is more efficient than 50% of clothes dryer models we track, a middling result. Its CEF of 3.93 reflects combined energy factor, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Samsung DVE52DG5505* at $113/yr runs a little cheaper and the Midea MLE52N5AWW at $113/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A clothes dryer typically stays in service for somewhere around 13 years; over that span, the Whirlpool WED5220R**'s $113/yr adds up to roughly $1469 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Amana NED5800H**.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WED5220R** 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 $113/yr, here is what the Whirlpool WED5220R** 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 WED5220R** costs about $1130. That is roughly $0 less than the class median, which would run closer to $1130 over the same ten years.
How the Whirlpool WED5220R** compares
The clothes dryer class we track runs from $23 to $128 a year. At $113/yr, it sits right on the class median of $113, and it is about $90 a year more than the cheapest clothes dryer to run at $23.
What drives its running cost
At 7.4 cu ft, the Whirlpool WED5220R** is a small clothes dryer for its class, which spans 3.8 to 9.2 cu ft with a median of 7.4 cu ft, less capacity to service is usually the first reason a running-cost figure lands on the low side, before efficiency even enters the picture. The CEF of 3.93 on this model, above the class median of 3.93, measures combined energy factor; it is the number to compare directly against another model's CEF if capacity is similar.
- Heat source and Combined Energy Factor (CEF). CEF combines drying performance with standby and off-mode energy use; for a given drum size, a higher CEF means less energy per pound of laundry dried, and heat-pump models usually post the highest figures in the class.
- Drum capacity. Drum capacity sets how much laundry one cycle can hold, and heating a bigger volume of air generally costs more energy per cycle.
Common questions
Is the Whirlpool WED5220R** cheap to run?
It is about average. At $113 a year it ranks #299 of 615 clothes dryer models we track, close to the middle of its class on running cost.
How much does the Whirlpool WED5220R** cost per month?
Roughly $9.4/mo, spreading the $113/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 608 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $113 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WED5220R** for its size?
50th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 386 | Samsung DVE52DG5505*7.4 cu ft | $113 |
| 385 | Ge Profile PFD95ES*W***7.8 cu ft | $113 |
| 384 | Electrolux ELFE773C***8 cu ft | $113 |
| 383 | Electrolux ELFE7738***8 cu ft | $113 |
| 382 | Maytag MED7020R**7.4 cu ft | $113 |
Source
ES_22856_WED5220R**_080620242022859_7402840View certified clothes dryer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WED5220R** 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.