Category
Clothes dryers running costs
615 ENERGY STAR certified models, ranked cheapest to run.
How much does it cost to run a clothes dryer?
Running cost for 615 ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryer models we track ranges from $23 to $128 a year, with a class median of $113/yr at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. For this class, running cost is driven mostly by drum capacity and whether it uses electric resistance or a heat pump. Read the full running-cost guide
Cheapest clothes dryer to run.
Top 25 of 615, ranked by estimated dollars per year.
Full cheapest ranking| # | Model | $ / year | Standing, % of class best |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bosch WQB245AXUC 3.9 cu ft |
$23 | |
| 2 | Bosch WTW87NH1UC 4 cu ft |
$23 | |
| 3 | Samsung DV25B69**H* 4 cu ft |
$23 | |
| 4 | Samsung DV25FG50*0** 4 cu ft |
$23 | |
| 5 | Miele TWF160 WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 6 | Miele TWI180 WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 7 | Miele TWB120 WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 8 | Lg DLHC1455* 4.2 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 9 | Miele TXR860WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 10 | Miele TWI680WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 11 | Miele TXI680WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 12 | Miele TWD360WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 13 | Miele TWD160WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 14 | Miele TXD160WP 4.1 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 15 | Lg WKHC152H*A 4.2 cu ft |
$25 | |
| 16 | Asko T3HW.U 4.2 cu ft |
$26 | |
| 17 | Samsung DV22N685*H* 4 cu ft |
$27 | |
| 18 | Samsung DV22N680*H* 4 cu ft |
$27 | |
| 19 | Blomberg DHP24400W 4.1 cu ft |
$28 | |
| 20 | Blomberg DHP24412W 4.1 cu ft |
$28 | |
| 21 | Beko HPD24412W 4.1 cu ft |
$28 | |
| 22 | Samsung DV25B68**H* 4 cu ft |
$29 | |
| 23 | Samsung DV25FG62*0** 4 cu ft |
$29 | |
| 24 | Asko T5HXLW.U 5.2 cu ft |
$39 | |
| 25 | Asko T5HXLT.U 5.2 cu ft |
$39 |
Reading the clothes-dryer ranking
Clothes dryers post the highest median running cost of any category we track, and the reason is straightforward: a dryer turns electricity directly into heat, while most other appliances here spend at least some of their energy budget on motors, compressors, or standby draw instead. That makes heat source, electric resistance versus a heat-pump system, the single biggest lever in this entire class, bigger than drum capacity.
The efficiency figure behind this class is Combined Energy Factor (CEF), which combines drying performance with standby and off-mode use; the efficiency ranking sorts by CEF adjusted for drum size, while the leaderboard above is raw dollars a year and will naturally favor smaller drums and heat-pump models alike.
Across the 615 certified dryers we track, running cost ranges from $23 to $128 a year with a median of $113/yr; most of the 615 models we track cluster toward the expensive end of that range, with a smaller group of standout models pulling the bottom down to $23/yr. The gap between the cheapest and priciest models here is one of the widest dollar spreads of any class we track, largely explained by heat-pump models sitting far below conventional resistance dryers.
What to weigh when comparing models
If minimizing running cost matters more than upfront price or cycle length, a heat-pump dryer is worth a close look, the CEF gap between heat-pump and resistance designs tends to be larger than the gap between any two drum sizes. Whichever type you choose, a clean lint filter and a well-spun load out of the washer both shorten the cycle and cut real energy use below the published figure.
How we score this class
Every figure here follows the same formula: each model's published annual kWh from ENERGY STAR, multiplied by the US average residential rate of $0.1856/kWh. Full methodology on how we score, or use the calculator.
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