Efficient Clothes Dryer

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Clothes dryers are typically one of the most expensive home appliances to operate, accounting for about 6% of total electricity usage. Unlike other appliances, clothes dryers don't vary much from model to model in the amount of energy used and are not required to display EnergyGuide labels. However, that doesn't mean that the amount of energy used by clothes dryers isn't important.
It typically costs 30 to 40 cents to dry a load of laundry in an electric dryer and approximately 15 to 20 cents in a gas dryer. Over its expected lifetime of 18 years, the average clothes dryer will cost you approximately $1,530 to operate.
Keeping Costs Down
To minimize your annual operation cost, choose a clothes dryer with the right design features and operate it efficiently. Many new clothes dryers have moisture sensors in the drum for sensing dryness, while most only estimate dryness by sensing the temperature of the exhaust air. With a moisture sensor, your dryer will turn off when the humidity in the drum is removed. Compared with timed drying, you can save about 10% with a temperature sensing control and 15% with a moisture sensing control.
Operate to Maximize Efficiency
- Dry full loads, but don't over-fill. Drying partial loads can use almost as much energy as full loads, and overloading can increase drying times.
- Don't over-dry your clothes. Over-drying can waste energy, increase shrinkage and shorten the life span of your clothes.
- Clean the lint filter after each load to improve air circulation, increase energy efficiency and reduce the risk of fire.
- Separate heavy from light-weight fabrics for faster, even drying.
- Use the moisture sensor feature instead of timed drying.
- Dry two or more loads in a row to take advantage of the heat remaining in the dryer after the first load.
- Consider hanging clothes outside on a clothesline whenever the weather permits.