Model
Whirlpool WED9290FW*
Rank #107 means 106 of the 615 clothes dryer models we track cost less to run each year; the 86th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 86% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WED9290FW* cost to run per year?
Few clothes dryer models we track cost less to run than the Whirlpool WED9290FW*: about $99 a year, rank #107 of 615. Adjusted for its cef, it is more efficient than 86% of clothes dryer models we track, a strong result once size is taken into account. At a CEF of 4.5, its combined energy factor is the single figure that best explains how it earns its running-cost number.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Whirlpool WED9290FC* at $99/yr runs a little cheaper and the Whirlpool YWED7990FW* at $99/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 WED9290FW*'s $99/yr adds up to roughly $1287 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Whirlpool WED7990FW*.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WED9290FW* 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 $99/yr, here is what the Whirlpool WED9290FW* 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 WED9290FW* costs about $990. That is roughly $140 less than the class median, which would run closer to $1130 over the same ten years.
How the Whirlpool WED9290FW* compares
The clothes dryer class we track runs from $23 to $128 a year. At $99/yr, it runs about $14 a year cheaper than the class median of $113, and it is about $76 a year more than the cheapest clothes dryer to run at $23.
What drives its running cost
At 7.4 cu ft, the Whirlpool WED9290FW* 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. Its CEF of 4.5, above the class median of 3.93, reflects combined energy factor: a higher figure means it wrings more useful work out of every kilowatt-hour, so it is the efficiency lever to weigh against raw size.
- 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 WED9290FW* cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $99 a year it ranks #107 of 615 clothes dryer models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Whirlpool WED9290FW* cost per month?
Roughly $8.21/mo, spreading the $99/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 531 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $99 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WED9290FW* for its size?
86th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 108 | Whirlpool WED9290FC*7.4 cu ft | $99 |
| 107 | Whirlpool WED7990FW*7.4 cu ft | $99 |
| 106 | Whirlpool YWHD560CH**7.4 cu ft | $85 |
| 105 | Whirlpool WHD862CH**7.4 cu ft | $85 |
| 104 | Whirlpool WHD560CH**7.4 cu ft | $85 |
Source
ES_22856_WED9290FW*_05032016211140_9900631View certified clothes dryer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WED9290FW* 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.