How much does a clothes dryer cost to run?

The formula

cost = watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × price per kWh

Worked example: 3,840 W × 1 h ÷ 1,000 = 3.84 kWh a day. 3.84 kWh × $0.1816 = $0.70 a day, or about $20.92 over 30 days.

How many watts does a clothes dryer use?

Most are rated 1,800 to 5,600 W. The exact rating is on the label inside the door or on the back panel; the cost calculator below uses the energy per load, not that peak rating.

• GE Appliances lists 5,600 W at 240 V (24 to 25 A, on a 30 A breaker) for most of its full-size top-load and front-load electric dryers, and 5,000 W for its 7.8 cu ft top-load model. On a 208 V supply, common in apartment buildings, the same dryers are rated 4,300 to 4,784 W.
• DOE's appliance energy guide gives a nameplate range of 1,800 to 5,000 W for clothes dryers. The low end is small 120 V compact models.
• The element does not run at full power for the whole cycle. DOE's 2024 efficiency rule rates dryers in pounds of clothes dried per kWh on an 8.45 lb test load: 2.20 lb/kWh for a basic dryer with electromechanical controls (3.84 kWh a load), 3.93 lb/kWh for the ENERGY STAR level, which becomes the federal minimum for new standard-size electric dryers from March 1, 2028 (2.15 kWh), and 7.39 lb/kWh for a heat pump dryer (1.14 kWh).
• DOE found an average cycle time of 61 minutes in its test sample. That is why our default is 3,840 W for 1 hour a day: it equals one basic-dryer load a day. For your own dryer, enter the kWh per load × 1,000 as the wattage and your loads per day as the hours.
• DOE estimates the average household runs its dryer about 213 times a year (EIA 2020 RECS data), or about 4 loads a week.

Cost at different electricity prices

Per month (30 days) and per year (12 such months). Real use is usually seasonal. Average residential prices for August 2026 from the same EIA table. Your utility's rate, including delivery charges, may differ. Check the price per kWh on your bill.

Ways to pay less

1. Dry full loads, not single items ENERGY STAR notes that drying one towel for 30 minutes costs about as much as drying a full load for the same time. Overloading has the opposite problem: the drum needs room for air to move, or the cycle runs longer.
2. Clean the lint screen every load CPSC says lint blocks airflow and causes heat to build up. Clothes still damp at the end of a normal cycle, or cycles getting longer, are a sign that the screen or the exhaust duct is clogged. Every extra 30 minutes at 5,600 W is about $0.51 at 18.16¢/kWh.
3. Use the moisture sensor and lower heat DOE recommends lower heat settings even if the cycle runs longer, plus a cool-down cycle that finishes the load with heat already in the drum. ENERGY STAR dryers use sensors that shut the heat off when clothes are dry instead of running a fixed timer.
4. Separate heavy and light fabrics DOE suggests drying towels and heavy cottons apart from lighter clothes, so the light load is not tumbling long after it is dry.
5. Line-dry when you can, or go heat pump at replacement A drying rack costs nothing to run. When the dryer needs replacing, DOE says ENERGY STAR certified models use about 20% less energy than conventional ones, and ENERGY STAR says heat pump dryers use around 70% less. In DOE's figures that is 1.14 kWh a load against 3.84 kWh.

Safety. CPSC warns that lint build-up in the dryer or exhaust duct can cause fires. Clean the lint screen before or after every load, clean the vent and duct periodically, check that air is leaving the outside vent while the dryer runs, and replace plastic or foil accordion ducting with rigid or semi-rigid metal duct. Clothes soiled with oils, gasoline or solvents are safer hung to dry.