Depending on your utility rates, drying a load of laundry can cost between 19 to 38 cents in an electric dryer, and 16 to 34 cents in a gas dryer. Did you Know? A gas dryer can save you up to 25% in energy costs.
Electric dryers span a wide range of wattages, from about 2,000 to 6,000 watts. That translates to about 2 to 6 kWh of electricity. Based on the national average rate of 12¢ per kWh, each hour of electric drying will cost somewhere between 24¢ and 72¢, depending on the model.
A single person will likely need to do two full loads of laundry per week. If their dryer uses an average of 3,000 watts per hour, and each load takes a maximum of one hour to dry, they'll use 6 kWh a day. A couple doing 2 loads each will double that, using 12 kWh over 4 hours.
How much does it cost to run a tumble dryer for an hour? According to Heatable, a 2500W tumble dryer costs about 85p to use for an hour. However, the tumble dryer cost per hour depends on the energy efficiency rating of your tumble dryer and the cost of energy at the time.
Under January 2025 energy prices, a tumble dryer running at 3kW costs 75p an hour to run, and it can cost even more to switch on the central heating.
Using a clothes dryer three times a week will use about 468 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. It costs an average of $5.53 to run a dryer for a month and $66.41 to run for a year. The best way to save on electricity is to install solar panels. Start comparing your options on the EnergySage Marketplace today.
If you have a 2100W (2.1 kW) washing machine and you run it for an hour, it'll use 2.1kWh of electricity in that hour. If electricity costs 34p per unit, multiply 2.1kWh by 34p and you get a grand total of 71p.
The initial investment for a gas dryer cost approximately $58 more, but natural gas is usually less costly than electricity, so gas dryers will cost less to operate. Depending on your utility rates, drying a load of laundry can cost between 19 to 38 cents in an electric dryer, and 16 to 34 cents in a gas dryer.
If you want to save the most money, read your plan's Electricity Facts Label (EFL) to figure out when your energy rates are cheapest. For instance, a common range for peak hours is between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. The cheapest time to do laundry for an energy plan with these higher TOU rates is before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m.
Heating and cooling are by far the greatest energy users in the home, making up around 40% of your electric bill. Other big users are washers, dryers, ovens, and stoves. Electronic devices like laptops and TVs are usually pretty cheap to run, but of course, it can all add up.
The Disadvantages of Electric Dryers
These dryers take more time to heat, prolonging the drying process. With a longer cycle also comes higher operational costs, which can feel harsh in areas where electric rates are on the higher side.
How much does the Dry:Soon Drying Pod cost to run? The Dry:Soon Drying Pod costs around 30p per hour to run (or 29p according to our smart meter). It's more expensive to operate than a winged or tiered airer which typically costs between 6p to 10p per hour.
Similarly, the cost of electricity to run a washing machine and dryer can vary depending on the cost of electricity in your area, but it can range anywhere from $0.25 to $0.75 per load.
How can I lower the cost of drying clothes? In the U.S., it costs approximately 45 cents to dry a load of laundry in an electric dryer, based on a 5,600-watt dryer, 40-minute run-time, and a 12-cent-per- kilowatt-hour rate.
Your average heat pump tumble dryer will use just 2.16 kWh for a full load cycle, with an average cost of just 59p to run – making it far cheaper, almost half as expensive, than all other options.
Generally, TVs use between 50 to 200 watts (W) of electricity, depending on the model. Most TVs use less than one amp and connect to a 120-volt outlet. Older TVs that use technology such as Plasma and CRT are much less efficient compared to newer LED and LCD TVs.
Electric dryers use anywhere from 1800 to 5000 watts of energy, on average, dependent on the load and cycle configurations. This equates to about 1.8 to 5 kWh of electricity. Whirlpool dryers typically require 2100 watts of energy.
Cost in Dollars of Energy Usage
This means that every time you run a 1000-watt dryer for 2 hours, it costs you $0.24. To calculate the daily, monthly and yearly costs, we use the following examples: Daily cost: If you use a 1000-watt dryer for 2 hours every day, the daily cost would be: 2 kWh x $0.12/kWh = $0.24/day.
The cost of doing a load of laundry can vary based on where you do it, how much you're washing, and the type of machines you use. Laundromats generally charge between $4.75 to $9.75 for a load, including washing and drying, while doing laundry at home costs between $1.00 and $3.00 per load.
The majority of kettles have a 3kW element. An example 3kW kettle boils one cup of water (235ml) in approx 45 seconds. This means it uses 1p to boil a cup of water in a kettle.
Beckmann has found that a staggering 85 percent of Britons are washing their clothes during the priciest hours of the day. The experts have pinpointed the most expensive time for doing laundry as between 8am and 10pm, when energy bills soar, reports The Express.
Use the Energy Rating Calculator
You can use online tools to work out how much energy each of your appliances is likely to be using. The Energy Rating Calculator shows expected energy usage, and estimated running cost of many appliances. You can: input the brand and model of the appliance.