Dryer Wattage & Energy Usage [Most Efficient Revealed 2024]

Last updated: February 2, 2024.

How much electricity does a dryer use? Find out here. And get key information on dryer wattage for both 120V & 240V dryers. Plus, see which is the most energy efficient dryer on the market in 2024.

Very few household appliances use more electricity than dryers. As a result, it’s important to get a good sense of dryer wattage, electricity usage over time, and energy efficiency.

And that’s what you’ll get from this article.

Spoilers:

Dryer wattage ranges from 825W to 7,200W – 5,271W is average, and 5,600W is most common.
On average, dryers use 1.95 kWh of electricity per load, 46 kWh per month, and 551.61 kWh per year (assuming 283 cycles).
Consuming just 0.44 kWh per load (close to 80% less than average), the most energy efficient dryer (that’s non-commercial) is the Bosch WTW87NH1UC.
The average amount of electricity used by a clothes dryer per load is equivalent to the amount of electricity used to run a ceiling fan for nearly 3 days.

Continue reading to see which dryers achieved the coveted “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label. Also, see how dryer wattage and electricity usage differs between 120V and 240V dryers.

Note: the data used (291 dryers in total) for this post was sourced from ENERGY STAR, The Home Depot, GE Appliances and various other manufacturer websites. The data relates to electric tumble / clothes dryers only, not gas.

Table Of Contents

Dryer wattage
How much electricity does a dryer use
- Do clothes dryers use a lot of electricity
Energy efficient dryers
- Most energy efficient dryer
FAQs
Don't miss…

Dryer wattage

On average, dryers use 5,271W, but 5,600W is most common.

Dryer wattage ranges from 825W to 7,200W.

However, actual consumption is likely lower for dryers with a 7,200W power rating.

Dryer wattage varies by dryer and dryer type.

The standard 240V dryers are most common and use considerably more watts compared to 120V dryers.

The figures above are for both 240V and 120V dryers. But let’s break these out to get a better sense of wattage.

240V dryer wattage

On average, 240V dryers use 5,480W. The most common 240V dryer wattage is 5,600W.

240V dryer wattage ranges from 2,520W to 7,200W.

240V dryers are the most common on the market due to the amount of power required to dry clothes.

120V dryers, often referred to as portable dryers, are not as common but are a great option for smaller homes or where installations don’t have a dedicated 240V dryer circuit.

120V dryers consume considerably less power than 240V dryers. Next, let’s take a look at how many watts a 120V dryer uses.

120V dryer wattage

120V dryers use 1,360W on average.

The most common 120V dryer wattage is 1,500W.

120V dryer wattage ranges from 825W to 1,800W.

Note: it’s important to run the correct voltage dryer on the appropriate circuit. Running a 240V dryer on a 120V circuit is dangerous – get more details about dryer voltage here: Dryer Voltage Explained [6 Ways To Check Voltage + Safety Tips].

Dryer wattage summary

To summarise, the table below lists the average, most common, highest and lowest wattage for all dryers, 240V dryers and 120V dryers.

	Dryer wattage	240V dryer wattage	120V dryer wattage
Average	5,271W	5,480W	1,360W
Most common	5,600W	5,600W	1,500W
Highest	7,200W	7,200W	1,800W
Lowest	825W	2,520W	825W

Next, let’s take a look at dryer components that consume the most watts.

Related: see how much it costs to run a dryer, here.

Dryer wattage breakdown

The vast majority of watts consumed by dryers goes to heating, followed by running the motor and then for moving air.

Overall, dryers use approx. 5,000W when heating, while the motor uses roughly 250W to spin the drum.

Dryer fans can use approx. 30W to move air for ventilation purposes.

A brief side note on dryer fans:

Dryer fan CFM

Dryer fan CFM refers to the amount of air, in cubic feet per minute, that a dryer moves.

Dryer fan CFM is approx. 100 to 150, according to ENERGY STAR.

Check out how dryer fan CFM compares to the CFM of various other fan types, here.

(I just thought this was interesting – end of side note).

Low wattage clothes dryer (2024)

Dryer fans use a substantial amount of watts to run. They are one of the biggest energy guzzlers in homes.

Because of this, let’s briefly take a look at the lowest wattage clothes dryers.

The 240V dryer with the lowest wattage is the Bosch 800 Series – see more details on Amazon, here.

This ENERGY STAR certified 240V dryer uses just 10.5 amps – that’s nearly 1 third of the average for 240V dryers.

For more details on dryer amperage, visit: How Many Amps Does A Dryer Use [Breaker Size & Adapters].

The 120V dryer with the lowest wattage is the RCA 13 lb. Compact Clothes Dryer – get product details on Home Depot, here, or Amazon, here.

This space saving, efficient portable dryer uses just 7.5 amps. Unlike 240V dryers, this dryer does not require a dedicated circuit – it can run off of a standard household outlet.

Both the 120V and 240V lowest wattage dryers are stand out dryers in terms of energy efficiency. However, having the lowest wattage does not mean that they are the most efficient.

I go into detail about the most energy efficient dryers below.

But first, how much electricity, in kWh, does a dryer use?

How much electricity does a dryer use

Now that we know how many watts a dryer uses, let’s take a look at how much electricity (in kWh) they use over time.

On average, dryers use 551.61 kWh of electricity per year. This works out at 46 kWh per month.

These figures assume 283 cycles annually, which is typical.

Per load, dryers use 1.95 kWh on average. The most common amount of electricity used by a dryer per load is 2.15 kWh.

The lowest amount of electricity that a dryer uses is 0.44 kWh per load – continue reading to get more detail on this dryer.

The table below summarises how much electricity dryers use over various durations – the results are split into average, most common, highest and lowest categories.

	Electricity used per load / cycle	Electricity used per month (23.6 cycles)	Electricity used per year (283 cycles)
Average	1.95 kWh	46.00 kWh	551.61 kWh
Most common	2.15 kWh	50.70 kWh	608 kWh
Highest	2.15 kWh	50.70 kWh	608 kWh
Lowest	0.44 kWh	10.42 kWh	125 kWh

Ultimately, the amount of electricity a tumble dryer uses depends on many variables including load size, cycle duration and energy efficiency.

The above figures are based on ENERGY STAR certified electric dryers along with some of the most sold electric clothes dryers on The Home Depot.

So, now we know how much electricity dryers use, but is it a lot?

Do clothes dryers use a lot of electricity

Yes, dryers use a lot of electricity.

They’re considered energy guzzlers.

Very few household appliances consume more electricity than clothes dryers.

It’s most common for clothes dryers to use 2.15kWh of electricity per cycle, which works out at 608 kWh per year (assuming 283 cycles).

To put this into perspective, let’s compare the amount of electricity that a dryer uses with other household appliances.

Drying 1 load of clothes in an electric dryer is equivalent to:

Nearly 37 hours of watching TV (based on the average TV wattage).
The amount of electricity used to boil a kettle 29.4 times.
Running a ceiling fan for close to 3 days (based on the average ceiling fan power consumption).

Annually, the most common amount of electricity that a dryer uses (i.e. 608 kWh) is nearly double the amount of electricity energy efficient washing machines consume per year (i.e. 316 kWh).

Get more details about the cost of running a washing machine, here.

So electric tumble dryers do use a substantial amount of electricity.

Next, let’s take a look at the most energy efficient electric clothes dryers.

Energy efficient dryers

The dryers that stood out in terms of low wattage are detailed above. But, as mentioned, a low wattage does not mean that the dryer is efficient.

ENERGY STAR uses “Combined Energy Factor (CEF)” as a key energy performance metric.

CEF is worked out by dividing load weight (in lb.) by the total energy consumed (in kWh) per test cycle, which includes standby, off and active modes.

This basically gives a figure that relates to how much clothes can be dried per kWh consumed.

The higher the CEF figure, the more efficient the dryer.

Energy efficient clothes dryers have a CEF that ranges from 3 to 10.14. On average, energy efficient dryers have a CEF of 4.25, with 3.93 being the most common.

These figures are based on all ENERGY STAR certified electric clothes dryers.

ENERGY STAR also highlights dryers that stand out in terms of energy efficiency. These dryers are labeled “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient”.

Out of 233 ENERGY STAR certified electric dryers, 11 dryers received the “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label.

The most energy efficient dryers, their electricity usage and CEF are:

Dryer	Combined energy Factor (CEF)	Electricity used per year (283 cycles)	Electricity used per load / cycle
Blomberg – DHP24400W	5.7 CEF	149 kWh	0.5265 kWh
LG – DLHC1455*	6.4 CEF	133 kWh	0.4700 kWh
Miele – Miele : TWF160 WP	6.37 CEF	133 kWh	0.4700 kWh
Miele – Miele : TWI180 WP	6.37 CEF	133 kWh	0.4700 kWh
Miele – Miele : TWB120 WP	6.37 CEF	133 kWh	0.4700 kWh
Bosch – WTW87NH1UC	6.8 CEF	125 kWh	0.4417 kWh
Beko – HPD24412W	5.7 CEF	149 kWh	0.5265 kWh
Blomberg – DHP24412W	5.7 CEF	149 kWh	0.5265 kWh
Samsung – DV22N685H	5.85 CEF	145 kWh	0.5124 kWh
Miele – Miele : PDR908 HP	9.75 CEF	245 kWh	0.8657 kWh
Samsung – DV22N680H	5.85 CEF	145 kWh	0.5124 kWh

This shortlist of the most energy efficient clothes dryers have:

A CEF of 6.44 on average – this is a 51% improvement on the overall average.
An annual power consumption of 149 kWh on average – this is over 70% lower than the overall average power consumption for ENERGY STAR certified dryers.
Similarly, a per load power consumption that’s over 70% less than the overall average for ENERGY STAR certified dryers – 0.5265 kWh per load vs 1.95 kWh per load overall.

Let’s take a look at the most energy efficient clothes dryer in more detail.

Most energy efficient dryer

The most energy efficient dryer is the Miele PDR908 HP – visit mieleusa.com for product details.

This dryer has the highest CEF of all dryers that achieved the label “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient”.

With a price tag of roughly $4k, this professional grade dryer may be more suited for commercial use.

Also, with a per load electricity usage of 0.8657 kWh, this dryer consumes close to double the amount of electricity compared to other dryers that also achieved the label “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient”.

Consuming just 0.44 kWh per load, the dryer with the lowest power consumption, that also attained the “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label, is the Bosch WTW87NH1UC – get product details on Home Depot, here, or Amazon, here.

With a power consumption close to 80% less than average, this dryer uses the lowest amount of electricity per load out of the 233 ENERGY STAR certified dryers.

Its CEF of 6.8 is also very impressive, representing a 60% improvement on the average CEF (i.e. 4.25) for ENERGY STAR certified dryers.

Its price tag is compelling too when compared to the dryer with the highest CEF – close to 1 third the price.

As a result of these factors, I’d argue that this dryer is the most energy efficient dryer on the market for home use.

Overall, the Bosch WTW87NH1UC achieves the title of the most energy efficient dryer. Find out more about this dryer, including the price, on Home Depot, here, or Amazon, here.

See how much it costs to run the most energy efficient dryer, here.

While researching the most energy efficient electric clothes dryers on the market, I came across a lot of frequently asked questions. Below, I’ve listed answers to these common questions.

FAQs

How much electricity does a dryer use per hour?

Per hour, dryers use 1.95 kWh of electricity on average.

Most dryers dry clothes within roughly 1 hour, so how much electricity dryers use per hour will be similar to the electricity usage per load.

The amount of electricity that dryers use will vary throughout the hour as different drying stages consume different amounts of electricity.

While drying, dryers jump in and out of active drying mode, standby, spin etc., with each stage using varying amounts of electricity.

As a result, using electricity usage per load as the per hour usage estimate is quite accurate.

Samsung dryer energy usage

Samsung dryers use 2 kWh of electricity per load, on average.

Per load, the most common amount of electricity that a Samsung dryer uses is 2.14 kWh.

Samsung dryer energy usage ranges from 0.512 kWh to 2.15 kWh per load.

The Samsung dryer that uses the least amount of energy is the Samsung – DV22N680*. Get more details about this Samsung dryer, including the price, on Home Depot, here.

This dryer is another standout energy efficient dryer and even achieved the coveted “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label.

How much electricity does a Kenmore dryer use

Kenmore dryers use 2.15 kWh of electricity per load.

Per year, Kenmore dryers use 607 kWh (assuming 283 cycles).

The Kenmore dryer that uses the least amount of electricity is the Kenmore – 8146#. Get more details about this appliance on the ENERGY STAR website, here.

How much power does an Electrolux dryer use

All ENERGY STAR certified Electrolux dryers use 2.15 kWh per load.

Annually, Electrolux dryers use 608 kWh of electricity. This assumes 283 cycles per year.

Here’s an example of one of the ENERGY STAR certified Electrolux dryers.

GE dryer ENERGY STAR

A question I came across frequently was: what GE electric dryers are ENERGY STAR certified?

There are 21 ENERGY STAR certified GE dryers.

All GE’s electric dryers that are ENERGY STAR certified are listed below. These link to the relevant page on energystar.gov. These are listed in no particular order.

ENERGY STAR certified GE dryers:
1. GE – GFD45ESM****.
2. GE Profile – PTD60EB*R***.
3. GE – GUD37EE*N***.
4. GE – GTD84EC*N***.
5. GE – GFD65ES*N***.
6. GE – GTD75ECML***.
7. GE – GTD72EB*N***.
8. GE – GFD45ESSM***.
9. GE – GTD72EB*N***.
10. GE – GFD40ESCM***.
11. GE – GUD27EE*N***.
12. GE – GTD84EC*N***.
13. GE – GFV40ESCM***.
14. GE – GFD65ES*N***.
15. GE – GFV55ES*N***.
16. GE – GUD27EE*N***.
17. GE – GFD14ES*N***.
18. GE – GTD75ECPL***.
20. GE – GTD65EB*J***.
21. GE – GTD75ECSL***.

GE dryer wattage

GE lists their dryer wattage on geappliances.com – the figures below are based on the electric dryer information listed on that page.

GE dryer wattage ranges from 4,300W to 5,600W.

The most common wattage for GE dryers is 5,600.

On average, GE dryers use close to 5,000W.

How much electricity do GE dryers use

GE dryers use 2.08 kWh of electricity per load, on average.

You can expect to use 590 kWh of electricity annually to run a GE dryer.

The GE dryer that uses the least amount of electricity is the ENERGY STAR certified GE – GFD14ES*N***. Get more details about this device on Home Depot, here, or Amazon, here.

Data source: energystar.gov.

LG dryer power consumption

LG dryers consume between 0.47 kWh and 2.15 kWh of electricity per load.

On average, LG dryers consume 2.09 kWh of power per load.

The most common LG power consumption is 2.14 kWh per load.

Annually, LG dryer power consumption ranges between 133 kWh and 607 kWh, with 590.5 kWh being the average and 607 kWh being the most common.

This assumes 283 cycles per year.

The LG dryer with the lowest power consumption is the LG – DLHC1455* (product details on Home Depot, here, or Best Buy, here). This dryer managed to achieve the coveted “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label.

Maytag dryer power consumption

All ENERGY STAR certified Maytag dryers use 2.15 kWh of electricity per load.

The annual Maytag dryer power consumption is 608 kWh, assuming 283 cycles per year.

Here’s an example of one of the ENERGY STAR certified Maytag dryers – this model has the shortest drying time.

Miele tumble dryer power consumption

Miele’s ENERGY STAR certified dryers have a power consumption that ranges from 0.47 kWh to 0.86 kWh per load.

The average Miele dryer power consumption is 0.5 kWh per load, with 0.47 kWh being the most common.

Miele dryers are some of the most energy efficient on the market.

As noted in the “Most energy efficient dryer” section above, the Miele PDR908 HP (visit mieleusa.com for product details) is the most energy efficient dryer that received the coveted “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label. This dryer has the highest CEF rating, however, it does consume more electricity than other dryers.

A standout, low power consumption Miele dryer that’s more suited for home use, rather than commercial use, is the Miele – TWB120 WP (view details on energystar.gov). This dryer has the quickest drying time out of all Miele dryers.

Whirlpool dryer energy usage

Whirlpool dryer energy usage ranges from 0.81 kWh to 2.15 kWh per load.

On average, Whirlpool dryers use 2.02 kWh of electricity per load. However, 2.15 kWh is most common.

The Whirlpool dryer that uses the least amount of energy, while being the quickest to dry clothes, is the Whirlpool – WHD5090G**. Get more details on energystar.gov.

Don’t miss…

Very few household appliances consume more electricity than dryers.

As a result, it’s important to consider the energy efficiency of dryers.

Using a low wattage, energy efficient dryer can help you keep your electric bills and carbon footprint low.

Next, check out the cost to run a dryer and get 11 cost saving tips that’ll help bills, and carbon footprint low.

Dryer Wattage & Energy Usage [Most Efficient Revealed 2024]

How much electricity does a dryer use? Find out here. And get key information on dryer wattage for both 120V & 240V dryers. Plus, see which is the most energy efficient dryer on the market in 2024.