Washer vs. Dryer Electricity Cost per Load: July Data

For the current certified-model medians, an electric clothes dryer uses about 2.15 kWh per DOE test-basis load, while a clothes washer uses about 0.47 kWh. At 18.83¢/kWh, that is roughly 40¢ for drying versus 9¢ for washing. The dryer therefore uses about 4.6 times as much electricity per standardized load comparison.

Key takeaways

• The certified electric-dryer median is 607 kWh/year under a 283-cycle DOE test basis.
• The certified clothes-washer median is 110 kWh/year under a 234-cycle DOE test basis.
• Those figures convert to about 2.15 kWh per dryer load and 0.47 kWh per washer load.
• A paired standardized wash-and-dry comparison totals about 2.62 kWh, or 49¢ at 18.83¢/kWh; the two annual test bases are not one household's exact laundry schedule.

Which uses more electricity: a washer or dryer?

The dryer. Dividing the 607-kWh certified electric-dryer median by 283 test cycles gives 2.15 kWh per load. Dividing the 110-kWh certified washer median by 234 test cycles gives 0.47 kWh per load. At the cited electricity price, those calculations are about 40¢ and 9¢ respectively.

The comparison is intentionally electricity-only. It does not include water, detergent, gas used by a gas dryer, purchase price, repairs, or the value of a household's time.

Why the annual figures should not be combined carelessly

The dryer and washer labels use different standardized annual cycle counts: 283 for an electric dryer and 234 for a washer. Those are test bases, not a claim that every household runs 283 drying cycles and 234 wash cycles in the same year. Per-load division makes the technologies easier to compare, but it does not forecast a family's annual laundry bill by itself.

For a real annual estimate, use each appliance's own annual kWh and a household's electricity rate. If a home dries fewer loads than it washes, or line-dries part of the time, its actual relationship will differ from the standardized comparison.

What a wash-and-dry load costs on the test basis

Adding the two per-load comparisons gives 2.62 kWh: 0.47 kWh for washing plus 2.15 kWh for drying. At $0.1883/kWh, that is about $0.49 for the electricity component of one standardized wash-and-dry comparison. The dryer is the larger share because it supplies heat to remove moisture from clothes.

Read the separate dryer electricity cost per load guide and washing-machine electricity cost per load guide for the underlying model ranges and assumptions.

How to reduce laundry electricity use

Choose a washer with a strong efficiency rating, use a suitable high spin option to leave less moisture in the load, avoid overdrying, and use a dryer moisture sensor when available. ENERGY STAR also recommends cleaning the lint trap before every load and matching cycle length to load size and fabric type.

For a setting-level saving that affects washing energy, see Does Washing in Cold Water Save Energy?.

FAQ

Does a dryer use more electricity than a washer? Yes, in the current certified-model comparison. The median electric dryer uses about 2.15 kWh per DOE test-basis load, compared with about 0.47 kWh for the median washer. The dryer estimate is about 4.6 times larger per standardized load.

How much does it cost to wash and dry one load? Using the two certified medians and 18.83¢/kWh, the electricity-only standardized comparison is about 49¢: roughly 9¢ for washing and 40¢ for electric drying. Household settings and laundry habits can change a real bill.

Are gas dryers included in this comparison? No. WattCost's dryer data and the calculation in this guide cover electric dryers. A gas dryer's primary operating fuel is gas, so comparing it using only electric kWh would be incomplete.

Does cold water make drying cheaper? Cold-water selection reduces washing energy by avoiding water heating when that setting is appropriate. It does not automatically reduce dryer electricity, although a suitable high-spin wash option can leave less moisture for the dryer to remove.

Data notes & sources

The calculations use WattCost's July 2026 certified clothes-washer and electric clothes-dryer snapshots, DOE test bases of 234 and 283 cycles respectively, and EIA's April 2026 U.S. average residential electricity price.

Primary efficiency guidance: ENERGY STAR clothes washers and ENERGY STAR low- and no-cost laundry tips.

Electricity-rate context: U.S. EIA residential electricity-price table.