Model
Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C
Rank #38 means 37 of the 615 clothes dryer models we track cost less to run each year; the 93rd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 93% of those models.
What does the Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C cost to run per year?
The Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C costs about $44 a year to run and sits near the top of the cheapest-to-run leaderboard, rank #38 of 615. Once capacity is factored in, it outperforms 93% of the clothes dryer models we track on efficiency, not just on headline running cost. Its CEF of 10.14 reflects combined energy factor, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Midea MLE27N5AWWC at $44/yr runs a little cheaper and the Miele PDR908 HP at $45/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 Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C's $44/yr adds up to roughly $572 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Midea MLE27N5AWWC.
By the numbers
The Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C 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 $44/yr, here is what the Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C costs about $440. That is roughly $690 less than the class median, which would run closer to $1130 over the same ten years.
How the Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C compares
The clothes dryer class we track runs from $23 to $128 a year. At $44/yr, it runs about $69 a year cheaper than the class median of $113, and it is about $21 a year more than the cheapest clothes dryer to run at $23.
What drives its running cost
At 4.5 cu ft, the Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C 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. The CEF of 10.14 on this model, above the class median of 3.93, measures combined energy factor; it is the number to compare directly against another model's CEF if capacity is similar.
- 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 Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $44 a year it ranks #38 of 615 clothes dryer models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C cost per month?
Roughly $3.65/mo, spreading the $44/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 236 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $44 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Insignia NS-FDRE44W1-C for its size?
93rd 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Midea MLE27N5AWWC4.5 cu ft | $44 |
| 36 | Whirlpool YWHD3090G**4.3 cu ft | $43 |
| 35 | Whirlpool WHD3090G**4.3 cu ft | $43 |
| 34 | Whirlpool YWHD5090G**4.3 cu ft | $43 |
| 33 | Whirlpool WHD5090G**4.3 cu ft | $43 |
Source
ES_1059185_NS-FDRE44W1-C_09282020033332_4012768View certified clothes dryer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Insignia and NS-FDRE44W1-C 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.