Electricity cost · electric dryer
A 3,000 W electric dryer used about 1 hour a day costs roughly $0.57 per day, $17.34 a month, or $208.05 a year at the $0.19/kWh US average rate — and uses about 3 kWh a day. These are indicative figures; adjust the wattage, hours, and your $/kWh below for your own home.
Typical wattages & rates indicative, as of — use your bill's $/kWh
Running a typical 3,000 W electric dryer about 1 hour a day costs roughly $0.57 a day, $17.34 a month, and $208.05 a year at the $0.19/kWh US average — about 3 kWh a day. An electric clothes dryer uses around 3,000 W for the roughly one hour of a drying cycle, so the cost scales with how many loads you run.
These are indicative figures, not a bill. Your real cost depends on the unit's actual wattage, how long you run it, and your local rate. Enter your own watts and the $/kWh from your bill in the calculator above for an accurate estimate. Cycling appliances don't run at full power continuously.
Indicative: typical 3,000 W × 1 h/day at the $0.19/kWh US residential benchmark published for 2026-04. Appliance preset reviewed 2026-06. Use your bill for accuracy.
A single default cannot represent every home. These three profiles keep the same $0.19/kWh planning rate while changing the usage pattern that matters for this appliance.
| Profile | Assumption | Average month | Annual cost | Annual energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three loads per week About 156 one-hour cycles a year | 3,000 W × 0.43 h/day × 365 days/year | $7.43 | $89.16 | 469.286 kWh |
| One load per day A daily household laundry cycle | 3,000 W × 1 h/day × 365 days/year | $17.34 | $208.05 | 1,095 kWh |
| Two loads per day High-volume household use | 3,000 W × 2 h/day × 365 days/year | $34.67 | $416.10 | 2,190 kWh |
Dryer heat cycles during a load, so nameplate maximum power overstates some cycles. The most useful input is average kWh per cycle from the product's EnergyGuide label multiplied by weekly loads.
Compare the cost per load before judging an efficiency upgrade. Shorter drying time, a clean vent, effective washer spin, sensor-dry settings, and line drying may matter as much as the dryer's nominal wattage.
Indicatively, a typical 3,000 W electric dryer run about 1 hour a day costs roughly $0.57 per day, $17.34 per month, and $208.05 per year at the US-average rate of $0.19/kWh, using about 3 kWh a day (1095 kWh a year). An electric clothes dryer uses around 3,000 W for the roughly one hour of a drying cycle, so the cost scales with how many loads you run. These are indicative figures — your real cost depends on the unit's actual wattage, how long you run it, and your own electricity rate.
At a typical 3,000 W and 1 hour of use a day, it draws about 3 kWh per day — roughly 1095 kWh over a year on the default schedule. Sized per cycle (~1 h); adjust hours/day to your laundry frequency. Multiply the kWh by your own $/kWh to get your cost.
The two levers are running it less (fewer hours or, for seasonal items, fewer days) and paying less per kWh. Using the appliance during off-peak hours can help if you're on a time-of-use plan, and a more efficient model lowers the wattage. The single most accurate thing you can do is enter your real wattage and your bill's $/kWh in the calculator above.
Source links and page assumptions reviewed .
Indicative estimate only. The 3,000 W figure is a typical indicative value, not a spec for your specific electric dryer, and $0.19/kWh is an indicative US average, not your tariff. Real cost varies widely by model, efficiency, usage, and your local rate and plan. For an accurate figure, use the wattage on your appliance and the $/kWh on your electricity bill. Appliance presets reviewed 2026-06; rate benchmark published for 2026-04.