Model
Whirlpool WGD8120H**
Rank #542 means 541 of the 615 clothes dryer models we track cost less to run each year; the 74th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 74% of those models.
What does the Whirlpool WGD8120H** cost to run per year?
Do the math and the Whirlpool WGD8120H**'s $128/yr puts it at rank #542 of 615, one of the costlier clothes dryer models we track to keep running. Normalized for capacity, it beats 74% of clothes dryer models we track, a better-than-average efficiency result. At a CEF of 3.48, its combined energy factor is the single figure that best explains how it earns its running-cost number.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Maytag MGD7230H** at $128/yr runs a little cheaper and the Whirlpool WGD7120H** at $128/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 WGD8120H**'s $128/yr adds up to roughly $1664 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Maytag MGD8230H**.
By the numbers
The Whirlpool WGD8120H** 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 $128/yr, here is what the Whirlpool WGD8120H** 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 WGD8120H** costs about $1280. That is roughly $150 more than the class median, which would run closer to $1130 over the same ten years.
How the Whirlpool WGD8120H** compares
The clothes dryer class we track runs from $23 to $128 a year. At $128/yr, it runs about $15 a year above the class median of $113, and it is about $105 a year more than the cheapest clothes dryer to run at $23.
What drives its running cost
At 8.8 cu ft, the Whirlpool WGD8120H** 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, among clothes dryer models, bigger capacity is the most common reason a running-cost figure lands on the high side, all else being equal. Beyond size, its CEF of 3.48, below the class median of 3.93, is the class's own efficiency yardstick, combined energy factor, and it is what separates two similarly sized models with different running costs.
- 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 Whirlpool WGD8120H** cheap to run?
Not especially. At $128 a year it ranks #542 of 615 clothes dryer models we track, in the pricier part of its class to run, though its size and features may still justify that for your needs.
How much does the Whirlpool WGD8120H** cost per month?
Roughly $10.63/mo, spreading the $128/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 687 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $128 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Whirlpool WGD8120H** for its size?
74th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 543 | Maytag MGD7230H**7.4 cu ft | $128 |
| 542 | Maytag MGD8230H**8.8 cu ft | $128 |
| 541 | Ge GTD84GC*N***7.4 cu ft | $128 |
| 540 | Amana NGD5800H**7.4 cu ft | $128 |
| 539 | Samsung DVG50R85***7.5 cu ft | $128 |
Source
ES_22856_WGD8120H**_09112019191722_9442434View certified clothes dryer listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Whirlpool and WGD8120H** 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.