How much does a clothes dryer cost per load?

A vented or condenser dryer uses a few kWh per load, often costing 50 cents to over a dollar a load depending on the model and your power price. Heat pump dryers use much less, around a third of the energy.

Is a heat pump dryer cheaper to run?

Yes, considerably. Heat pump dryers use far less electricity per load than vented or condenser dryers, so although they cost more to buy, they save on running costs over time, especially for frequent users.

How does it compare with line drying?

Line drying is free, so a dryer's whole running cost is the price of convenience. Working out the yearly cost shows what that convenience is worth and whether a more efficient dryer would pay off.

Clothes Dryer Cost Calculator

This calculator works out what your clothes dryer costs to run in New Zealand, turning its energy use into a cost per load, per week and per year so you can see what the convenience is really worth. You enter three figures: the energy your dryer uses per load in kilowatt hours, how many loads you run per week, and your power price per kilowatt hour from your latest bill. It multiplies these together and returns the cost per load, the cost per week and the total cost per year, updating instantly as you change any input. This matters because dryers vary hugely in efficiency: a standard vented or condenser dryer typically uses around 2.5 to 4 kWh a load, while a heat pump dryer often uses closer to 1 kWh, so adjusting the energy figure shows how much a more efficient machine could save over a year. Because line drying costs nothing, the yearly total is really the price of the convenience of owning a dryer, useful whether you are deciding to line dry more, weighing up a heat pump dryer, or want to see where your power bill goes. The figures are only as accurate as what you enter, so check your dryer's energy label for its real kWh use where you can, and treat the result as a helpful estimate rather than an exact bill forecast.

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Energy per load (kWh)

Loads per week

Power price (per kWh)

to run the dryer per year

Cost per load$0

Per week$0

A vented or condenser dryer uses around 2.5 to 4 kWh a load; a heat pump dryer often around 1 kWh. Line drying is free, so this is the cost of the convenience. Estimate only.

How it works

The calculator multiplies the energy per load by your power price for the cost per load, then by your loads per week and 52 weeks for the yearly total. Entering a lower kWh figure shows how much a heat pump dryer would save, and comparing the yearly cost with zero (line drying) shows exactly what the convenience of a dryer is costing you.

Worked example

At 3 kWh a load and 28 cents, each load costs about 84 cents. Four loads a week is about $3.36 a week, or roughly $175 a year. A heat pump dryer at 1 kWh a load would cost around $58 a year, saving over $100.

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Appliance Running Cost Calculator: any appliance.
Dehumidifier Running Cost Calculator: dehumidifier cost.
Electricity Cost Calculator: power costs.
Second Fridge Cost Calculator: second fridge.

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