Model
Lg DLEX8980*
Rank #171 means 170 of the 615 clothes dryer models we track cost less to run each year; the 89th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 89% of those models.
What does the Lg DLEX8980* cost to run per year?
The Lg DLEX8980* is a relatively cheap runner for its class: about $113 a year, rank #171 of 615. Efficiency-wise, once capacity is accounted for, it beats 89% of the class, a solidly strong result rather than a size-driven fluke. Its CEF of 3.94 reflects combined energy factor, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Lg DLEX8900* at $113/yr runs a little cheaper and the Lg DLEX4080* at $113/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 Lg DLEX8980*'s $113/yr adds up to roughly $1469 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Lg DLEX8900*.
By the numbers
The Lg DLEX8980* 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 $113/yr, here is what the Lg DLEX8980* adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Lg DLEX8980* costs about $1130. That is roughly $0 less than the class median, which would run closer to $1130 over the same ten years.
How the Lg DLEX8980* compares
The clothes dryer class we track runs from $23 to $128 a year. At $113/yr, it sits right on the class median of $113, and it is about $90 a year more than the cheapest clothes dryer to run at $23.
What drives its running cost
At 9 cu ft, the Lg DLEX8980* is a large clothes dryer for its class, which spans 3.8 to 9.2 cu ft with a median of 7.4 cu ft, size is usually the single biggest lever behind a running-cost figure, and at this end of the range there is more capacity to service, which tends to push the number up. The CEF of 3.94 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 Lg DLEX8980* cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $113 a year it ranks #171 of 615 clothes dryer models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Lg DLEX8980* cost per month?
Roughly $9.39/mo, spreading the $113/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 607 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $113 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Lg DLEX8980* for its size?
89th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 171 | Lg DLEX8900*9 cu ft | $113 |
| 170 | Lg DLE7400*E7.3 cu ft | $113 |
| 169 | Lg WKE100H*A7.4 cu ft | $113 |
| 168 | Lg DLE7000*7.3 cu ft | $113 |
| 167 | Lg DLEX3850*7.4 cu ft | $113 |
Source
ES_1118034_DLEX8980*_12102021025701_80109843View certified clothes dryer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Lg and DLEX8980* 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.