How Much Does It Cost to Run a Clothes Dryer?

Most of a dryer's electricity goes into the heating element, which switches on and off to hold the drum at temperature. The drum motor and fan add only a few hundred watts, and the last part of many programmes is a cool-down with the heat off. Over a typical cycle, a 3,000 W dryer averages about 80% of its rated power, or 2.4 kWh for an hour.

At one load a day that is about 73 kWh a month: about $13.25 in the US, £19.20 in the UK and €26.40 in Germany. Heavy towels and bedding take longer and cost more; small or light loads cost less.

Full-size US dryers run on 240 V circuits and are often rated at 4,000–5,600 W, so a long cycle can use 3–4 kWh or more. In 230 V countries most vented and condenser dryers are rated at about 2,000–3,000 W.

Vented dryers blow warm, damp air outside through a hose or duct. Condenser dryers cool the air inside the machine and collect the water in a tank or drain, so they need no vent; they use a similar amount of electricity, sometimes a little more.

Heat-pump dryers recycle heat instead of making it all from scratch with an element. They draw much less power, often under 1,000 W, and usually take longer per load, but they typically use around half the energy of a conventional dryer, sometimes less. They cost more to buy, so the saving matters most if you dry several loads a week.

Gas dryers use electricity only for the drum, fan and controls, so their electricity cost is small; the gas they burn is billed separately.

How wet the clothes are when they go in matters most. A washing machine with a fast final spin removes much more water than a slow one, which shortens the drying time.

Use tends to rise in winter, when line-drying outside isn't practical, so dryer costs often show up most on cold-weather bills. A clogged lint filter or a long, kinked vent hose also makes every load take longer.

Ranges are typical for dryers on sale in 2026. Your dryer's exact rating is on the plate inside the door or on the back; use that number in the calculator.

• Use the fastest spin speed your clothes can take before drying.
• Choose a sensor or moisture-based programme instead of a fixed timer so the dryer stops when clothes are dry.
• Clean the lint filter after every load, and empty the water tank and clean the condenser or filters as the manual advises.
• Dry loads one after another while the drum is still warm, and keep loads full but not packed.
• Line-dry or use an airer when the weather allows, even for part of a load.
• On a time-of-use tariff, run the dryer in cheaper off-peak hours.

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