Model
Whirlpool WED81HED*+
Rank #347 means 346 of the 615 clothes dryer models we track cost less to run each year; the 32nd efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 32% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WED81HED*+ cost to run per year?
At about $113 a year, the Whirlpool WED81HED*+ lands in the middle third of clothes dryer models we track on running cost, rank #347 of 615. Size-adjusted, this model trails most of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 32% of clothes dryer models we track. Its CEF of 3.93 reflects combined energy factor, one of the class's core efficiency levers.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Whirlpool WED72HED*+ at $113/yr runs a little cheaper and the Whirlpool WED8740D*+ 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 Whirlpool WED81HED*+'s $113/yr adds up to roughly $1469 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Ge Profile PTD90EB*T***.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WED81HED*+ 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 Whirlpool WED81HED*+ adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Whirlpool WED81HED*+ 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 Whirlpool WED81HED*+ 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 7.3 cu ft, the Whirlpool WED81HED*+ 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 3.93 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). 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; CEF is the federal figure that captures this.
- 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.
Common questions
Is the Whirlpool WED81HED*+ cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $113/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #347 of 615, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Whirlpool WED81HED*+ cost per month?
About $9.4 a month, which is the $113 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 608 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $113 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WED81HED*+ for its size?
32nd percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
| Rank | Model | Cost/yr |
|---|---|---|
| 219 | Whirlpool WED72HED*+7.3 cu ft | $113 |
| 218 | Whirlpool WED8700E**8.8 cu ft | $113 |
| 217 | Whirlpool WED8500D*+8.8 cu ft | $113 |
| 216 | Whirlpool WED8000D*+8.8 cu ft | $113 |
| 215 | Whirlpool WED7590FW*7.4 cu ft | $113 |
Source
ES_22856_WED81HED*+_05032016195950_5590102View certified clothes dryer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WED81HED*+ 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.