Model
Whirlpool WED85HEFC*
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 WED85HEFC* cost to run per year?
The Whirlpool WED85HEFC* costs about $113 a year to run, a middle-of-the-pack figure at rank #299 of 615. Once capacity is factored in, its efficiency percentile of 50 is fairly typical for the class, neither a standout nor a laggard. The CEF figure of 3.93 on this model captures combined energy factor, the main efficiency lever ENERGY STAR tracks for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Whirlpool WED85HEFBL* at $113/yr runs a little cheaper and the Whirlpool WED85HEFW* 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 WED85HEFC*'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 WED85HEFC* 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 WED85HEFC* 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 WED85HEFC* 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 WED85HEFC* 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 WED85HEFC* 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, and smaller clothes dryer models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal. Beyond size, its CEF of 3.93, above the class median of 3.93, is the class's own efficiency yardstick, combined energy factor, and it is what separates two similarly sized models with different running costs.
- 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 WED85HEFC* 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 WED85HEFC* 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 WED85HEFC* 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 259 | Whirlpool WED85HEFBL*7.4 cu ft | $113 |
| 258 | Whirlpool WED8540FW*7.4 cu ft | $113 |
| 257 | Whirlpool WED8510FW*8.8 cu ft | $113 |
| 256 | Kenmore C6913*41*8.8 cu ft | $113 |
| 255 | Kenmore C6813*41*8.8 cu ft | $113 |
Source
ES_22856_WED85HEFC*_10272016174641_0401920View certified clothes dryer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WED85HEFC* 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.