One appliance in the home that uses more electricity than others is the dryer. The cost to dry the clothes in the dryer adds up, especially when there are more loads of laundry. So, how much electricity does a dryer use?
Electricity costs for a typical cycle in a dryer range from $0.94 to $1.17. If a clothesline is not available, there are various energy-efficient dryers that can be installed in its place.
In the article, I will show you more specific information about how much electricity does a dryer use, including influence factors and calculation.
How Much Electricity Does a Dryer Use?
Your dryer will use different amounts of electricity, but you can always find the precise wattage in the manual that came with it or by searching the model online. Dryers consume 3,000 watts on average, but can use as much as 1,800 – 5,000.
You only need to perform a straightforward calculation to determine how much that actually costs you because your bill will be calculated in kWh (kilowatts per hour). For instance, it usually takes two hours for two loads of laundry to dry. So, taking 3,000 as our average, that looks like:
- 3000 x 2 = 6000
The total number of watts used is then multiplied by 1,000 to determine how many kilowatt hours were consumed (6000 / 1000 = 6); consequently, two loads add up to 6 kWh.
Energy costs vary from person to person and are typically calculated per kWh. Examine your most recent bill to find out how much you typically pay for the time you typically dry your clothes to find out. So, if you pay $0.13 per kWh, which is around the US average, you’d be paying:
- 6 x 0.13 = $0.78
So, if your area’s rates are similar to the US average, each load will cost you about $0.40. That’s not too bad, and your dryer might be even more energy-efficient if it’s more recent.
Things That Impact Dryer Electricity Use
The dryer uses a lot of energy when it is operating. The top six factors that affect how much electricity is used by dryers are listed below.
Age of the Dryer
Like most tools and machines, a dryer loses efficiency as it ages. The majority of dryers in use today range in age from 2 to 9 years.
The Wattage of the Dryer
The typical range for dryer wattage is between 2,000 and 6,000. This means that a dryer uses 2 to 6 kilowatts per hour.
Energy Star Certification
Is your dryer ENERGY STAR accredited? If this is the case, a standard machine should use about 20% less electricity. The EPA points out that these energy-saving dryers have advanced moisture sensors that cut down on run-time, among other electricity-saving features.
Dryer Time of Use
Technically, you could run the dryer without using any electricity if you have a time-of-use plan and you time it properly; at the very least, you wouldn’t be charged for it. Some people who are committed to reducing their electricity usage will wait until the free time, which is typically after midnight, to dry their clothes.
Your dryer still uses electricity even though you can avoid the charge. The amount of electricity used will not change depending on the time of day.
Dryer Settings
You can maximize the efficiency of energy use by adjusting the dryer’s settings. In general, a low heat setting that operates for a longer period of time will use less electricity than a high heat setting that operates for a shorter period of time. Another way to use less electricity is by using the cool down cycle setting, which makes use of the warm air inside the machine. Whenever possible, use sensor drying rather than a timed dry. Read about Dryer Not Heating? Causes and How to Fix?
Load Sizes
You might have heard that in order to maximize efficiency, it’s best to fully load a dishwasher before running it. The dryer operates similarly, I suppose. The dryer ought to be loaded, but not too loaded. When the dryer is overloaded or the load is too small, clothes dry more slowly.
It can also depend on what is in the load. Towels and heavier clothing should be dried separately from lighter clothing because combining the two will increase drying time.
How to Calculate the Cost of Running Your Dryer?
With a better understanding of the factors influencing your dryer’s electricity usage, let’s look at how to determine how much energy it uses.
Get the Dryer’s Wattage
You can run the numbers to get a ballpark estimate of kWh use as long as you know the wattage of your clothes dryer. (Look for the wattage on the UL label if you are unsure.)
Clock the Drying Time
Calculate the average drying time for a few loads of laundry. You can determine the typical drying time per load from this, hopefully.
Convert the Drying Time Length to a Percentage
You must convert the drying time to a fraction of an hour in order to calculate the kilowatt-hours. Consider a dryer that is so effective that a load is dry in just 30 minutes. That would be 0.5, or 50%, of an hour.
Multiply the Drying Time Percentage With Wattage
Now for the math: multiply the machine’s wattage by the drying time percentage first. For the purposes of this example, we’ll assume that the dryer is 4,000 watts.
0.5 X 4,000 = 2,000 watts
Divide by 1,000
By multiplying the total by 1,000 (there are 1,000 watts in a kilowatt-hour), you can now convert this amount of watts into kilowatt-hours.
2,000 watts / 1,000 = 2 kilowatt-hours
What Clothes Dryers Are Energy Efficient?
There are models available that use conventional methods of drying clothes and are efficient. However, there are other energy-efficient options available that will allow you to dry your clothes in more inventive ways and ultimately use less energy.
Condenser Clothes Dryers
These dryers resemble conventional dryers but reuse the hot air heated by water vapor. Reusing this heat entails utilizing the machine’s own waste to prevent heat loss and the loss of unnecessary energy. Condenser dryers typically cost between $0.40 and $0.59 to complete a cycle. Condenser dryers typically cost between $600 and $1500.
Heat Pump Clothes Dryers
These dryers use a dehumidifier to keep the heat inside the machine while recycling it. It also helps keep the laundry from fogging up because there is less heat loss overall. One of the more energy-efficient types of dryers is the heat pump, with most costing 33 cents per kilowatt used. This implies that the annual cost of $52 for the heat pump dryer is possible. The machine can be expensive to buy, with an average cost of $1700.
Gas Clothes Dryers
Although gas can be connected to the house, a gas-powered clothes dryer can be installed. Clothes dryers are frequently powered by electricity. Although less frequently used than electric dryers, these can still run for an average of 46 cents per hour. The cost of gas dryers is an issue; they frequently range from $1000 to $4000.
How Can I Lower Dryer Electricity Cost?
The best ways to save money and lower the clothes dryers electricity cost are by:
- Off-Peak Periods: Depending on when the dryer is used, the amount of electricity used and total costs can vary. The price of using electricity will be less expensive during off-peak or shoulder times. Although these times vary depending on the electricity distributor company networks, using the dryer can occasionally result in a cost savings of up to 50%.
- Dryer shouldn’t be loaded too much or too little; if the dryer is loaded too much, there are lots of clothes in it. When this occurs, the dryer won’t finish drying every piece of clothing, necessitating frequent re-drying. As a result, two cycles are required, which means double the pay, rather than just one. Underloading refers to adding a few items that frequently do not require immediate drying. When this occurs, money and dryer usage are frequently wasted.
- Installing Clotheslines – Clotheslines are a great alternative to using a dryer and will ultimately save you money on the machine. Installing a clothesline can be done inside or outside and will stop you from constantly using a dryer.
How Much Does It Cost to Run a Tumble Dryer for An Hour?
You’ll pay $0.39 per hour if a 3,000 watt dryer costs $0.78 to run for two hours.
- 3000 x 1 = 3000
- 3000 / 1000 = 3 kWh
- 3 x the cost of a kWh at $0.13 = $0.39
How Much Does It Cost to Run a Dryer for 30 Minutes?
Your dryer might have a quick-dry or eco-feature that enables you to dry or semi-dry small loads more quickly and for less money than a full load. Even though we can’t estimate costs for all individual models, we can estimate the cost of running a dryer using the same method as above.
- 3000 watts x 0.5 (half an hour) = 1500
- 1500 / 1000 = 1.5 kWh
- 5 x the cost of a kWh at $0.13 = $0.20 (rounded up half a cent)
How Much Energy Does a Dryer Use Per Day?
Let’s calculate for a few different types of laundry days, assuming you complete all of your laundry in one day, since this entirely depends on how many loads you complete in a day.
Two complete loads of laundry should be done by a single person each week. They will use 6 kWh per day if their dryer uses an average of 3,000 watts per hour and each load takes no longer than an hour to dry.
Using 12 kWh over 4 hours, a couple using 2 loads each will double that.
A family of four may use that amount twice as much, or 24 kWh, over the course of 8 hours.
FAQs
Do Dryers Use a Lot of Power?
They do, but over a shorter time than many other common appliances.
Let’s use your TV as an example, which uses between 100 and 300 watts if it’s relatively new and your dryer as the comparison object. In the same time period, your TV could cost you a tenth of what your dryer does. In the US, the average time spent watching television is 4.5 hours per day, or 31.5 hours per week.
5 x 200 watts = 6300 watts.
Therefore, watching TV in the evening for a week will cost you about as much as using the dryer for two hours.
Is a Heated Airer Better Than a Tumble Dryer?
No, they don’t; despite using less energy (typically 250 watts), they are less effective and can raise the humidity in your home, which, if you aren’t careful, can cause dampness and mold issues. Despite taking up less room than a dryer, they cannot handle the 11+ lbs of wet clothes that a dryer can.
Furthermore, even the most affordable tumble dryers on the market today have low power consumption, so you might find one that consumes only 1,000 watts, which will be significantly more effective than any heated airer you can find.
Conclusion on Dryer Electricity Cost
The average dryer charge ranges from $0.94 to $1.17 per cycle. If you can’t dry your clothes on a clothesline, you can install different energy-efficient dryers.
Hanging to dry clothing or towels will completely eliminate the need for a clothes dryer, which will reduce energy consumption. You can save energy and money by setting up some hangers in your backyard or on your balcony to dry your clothes. The use of a dryer might be necessary if hanging clothes to dry is not possible during the winter. We advise against fully overdrying your clothes; instead, dry them until they are nearly dry and hang them up inside the house to dry completely.
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