How much does it cost to run a clothes dryer?

A clothes dryer certified by ENERGY STAR costs about $23 to $128 a year to run at the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, based on 615 models we track. The class median is $113/yr. The cheapest to run is the Bosch WQB245AXUC at about $23/yr, while the priciest models in the class run closer to $128/yr. Running cost in this class is driven mostly by drum capacity and whether it uses electric resistance or a heat pump, covered in detail below.

What it costs

Across the 615 ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryer models we track, annual running cost ranges from $23/yr to $128/yr, with a class median of $113/yr, all computed at the US average residential rate of $0.1856/kWh. That is a spread of $105 a year between the cheapest and priciest model we track, which over a typical decade-long appliance life is $1050 of difference before the purchase price even enters the math.

What drives the running cost

A dryer turns electricity into heat, so its running cost is driven by how much heat it needs to generate and for how long:

• Drum capacity. A larger drum can dry a bigger load per cycle, but it also usually needs more energy per cycle to heat the extra air volume.
• Heat pump vs. electric resistance. Heat-pump dryers recycle heat instead of generating it fresh with a resistance coil, and typically use meaningfully less electricity per load than a conventional resistance dryer, at the cost of a longer cycle.
• Combined Energy Factor (CEF). This federal efficiency figure combines drying performance with standby and off-mode energy use; a higher CEF for a given drum size means less energy per pound of laundry dried.
• Moisture sensing. A dryer with a moisture sensor ends the cycle as soon as clothes are dry, rather than running a fixed timer that can keep heating already-dry laundry.

How to lower it

• Use the moisture-sensor or "auto dry" cycle instead of a fixed timed cycle, so the dryer stops as soon as the load is actually dry.
• Clean the lint filter before every load; a clogged filter restricts airflow and makes the dryer run longer to finish the same load.
• Spin-dry clothes as thoroughly as your washer allows before drying; the less water the dryer has to remove, the shorter and cheaper the cycle.
• Dry full, similarly weighted loads rather than a single heavy item or a tiny load; both waste a disproportionate share of a cycle's heating energy.

The cheapest clothes dryer to run

These are the five cheapest clothes dryer models to run among the ones we track, ranked by estimated dollars per year. See the full leaderboard for all 150 ranked.

Calculate your own

These figures assume the US average electricity rate. If your local rate is higher or lower, or you want to check a specific model's real annual kWh, use the running-cost calculator to swap in your own rate and see the yearly cost update live.