At the April 2026 U.S. residential average rate of 18.83¢/kWh, one 3.30 kWh conventional electric dryer load costs about $0.62. Air-drying three loads per week for 52 weeks would save about $97 per year, before touch-up energy or clothesline setup cost.
Conventional vented electric preset: 3.30 kWh per full load.
Adjust the four essentials to compare both scenarios.
The baseline prices every annual laundry load as a full machine-dryer cycle. The proposed scenario prices full cycles for loads that are not planned for line drying, plus one full cycle for each failed line-drying attempt, plus only the entered touch-up electricity for successful attempts.
Annual loads = loads per week × 52
Planned line loads = annual loads × air-dried share × line-drying weeks ÷ 52
Successful line loads = planned line loads × weather success; failed line loads = planned − successful
Proposed full machine cycles = annual loads − successful line loads
Touch-up kWh = successful line loads × touch-up kWh per successful load
Annual savings = all-machine annual cost − proposed mixed annual cost
No double-counting: a failed attempt receives one full dryer cycle and no touch-up allowance. Touch-up energy applies only to successfully line-dried loads. The intermediate counts appear in the results.
Each example uses 5 loads/week (260/year), 60% successfully line dried all year (156 loads), $0.1883/kWh, $1.75/therm, 0.386 kg CO2/kWh, 5.30 kg CO2/therm, no touch-up energy, and a $40 rack.
Inputs: 3.30 kWh/load; 156 of 260 loads line dried.
$0.62/load = 3.30 kWh × $0.1883
$96.94 saved = (260 − 104) × 3.30 × $0.1883
All dryer: 858.0 kWh and $161.56/year. Mixed plan: 343.2 kWh and $64.62/year. Annual saving: 514.8 kWh, $96.94, and 198.7 kg CO2. Setup payback: about 0.4 years.
Inputs: 1.50 kWh/load; 156 of 260 loads line dried.
$0.28/load = 1.50 kWh × $0.1883
$44.06 saved = (260 − 104) × 1.50 × $0.1883
All dryer: 390.0 kWh and $73.44/year. Mixed plan: 156.0 kWh and $29.37/year. Annual saving: 234.0 kWh, $44.06, and 90.3 kg CO2. Setup payback: about 0.9 years.
Inputs: 0.22 therm + 0.25 kWh/load; 156 of 260 loads line dried.
$0.43/load = 0.22 × $1.75 + 0.25 × $0.1883
$67.41 saved = 156 × $0.43
All dryer: 57.20 therms, 65.0 kWh, and $112.35/year. Mixed plan: 22.88 therms, 26.0 kWh, and $44.94/year. Annual saving: 34.32 therms, 39.0 kWh, $67.41, and 196.9 kg CO2. Setup payback: about 0.6 years.
Figures are rounded; the live calculator retains unrounded values. Presets are editable planning assumptions, not promises for a particular appliance or cycle.
| Default | Value | Geography | Source / period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laundry frequency | 5 loads/week | Example household | Neutral planning example; user-editable |
| Air-dried share | 60%; 52 weeks; 100% success | Example household | Transparent scenario defaults, not survey averages |
| Conventional vented electric | 3.30 kWh/load | General | Conservative Starlight planning preset; compare with the current ENERGY STAR product list or your label |
| Condenser electric | 4.00 kWh/load | General | Rounded planning preset reflecting wide model/cycle variation; use label data for decisions |
| Heat-pump electric | 1.50 kWh/load | General | Rounded planning preset informed by ENERGY STAR's lower-energy heat-pump category; use model data |
| Gas dryer | 0.22 therm + 0.25 kWh/load | General | Rounded mixed-fuel planning preset; overwrite with manufacturer or measured data |
| Annual-label example | 934 kWh ÷ 283 cycles = 3.30 kWh/load | United States example | Demonstrates the conversion path while matching the initial conventional preset |
| Wattage example | 4,400 W × 45 min = 3.30 kWh/load | General example | Demonstrates watts × hours; actual average power can be below a nameplate maximum |
| Electricity rate | $0.1883/kWh | United States | EIA Electric Power Monthly, April 2026 residential average: exactly 18.83¢/kWh |
| Natural gas rate | $1.75/therm | United States | EIA Natural Gas Monthly, April 2026 $18.17/Mcf, converted using 1 Ccf = 1.037 therm and rounded |
| Grid emissions | 0.386 kg CO2/kWh | United States | EPA eGRID2023 U.S. total-output CO2 rate, released/revised 2025 |
| Gas emissions | 5.30 kg CO2/therm | United States | EPA combustion factor, rounded from 53.06 kg CO2/MMBtu; one therm = 0.1 MMBtu |
| Therm conversion | 29.30 kWh/therm | International unit conversion | EIA unit reference; 1 therm = 100,000 Btu, converted and rounded |
| U.S. label cycles | 283 cycles/year | United States | DOE dryer test procedure; regional and older label conventions can differ |
| Currency display | $ (USD) | United States example | Display default only; selecting another symbol does not convert entered rates |
| Touch-up / runtime | 0 kWh; 45 minutes/load | Example household | Neutral user-editable starting points |
| Setup / analysis | $40; 5 years | Example household | Illustrative user-editable planning values |
Use the highest washer spin speed appropriate for the fabric. Less retained water shortens either machine drying or indoor rack time.
Use sensor drying, avoid over-drying, and choose the shortest suitable cycle. Timed cycles can continue after clothes are dry.
Clean the lint filter each load and keep ducts and exterior vents clear. Restricted airflow increases drying time and can create a fire hazard.
Dry outdoors when practical. Indoors, ventilate and monitor humidity; a continuously running fan or dehumidifier can materially reduce savings.
Multiply electricity used per cycle by your electricity rate. At 3.30 kWh and 18.83 cents per kWh, a conventional electric load costs about $0.62. Gas dryer cost also includes therms per load times the gas rate.
At 3.30 kWh per load and 18.83 cents per kWh, replacing three machine-dried loads each week for 52 weeks saves about $97 per year before touch-up energy or setup cost.
This calculator's editable planning presets are 3.30 kWh for a conventional vented electric dryer, 4.00 kWh for a condenser electric dryer, and 1.50 kWh for a heat-pump dryer. Actual labels and cycles vary, so use your model's data when available.
A passive rack or outdoor clothesline uses no purchased drying energy. A fan, heated rack, dehumidifier, or short dryer finish does use energy and should be entered as touch-up kWh.
Yes. Added appliance kWh can reduce or exceed the avoided dryer energy, especially with an efficient heat-pump dryer. Enter that electricity as touch-up energy per successfully air-dried load.
Wet laundry releases moisture indoors. Ventilate the space, monitor humidity, and avoid drying where persistent condensation or mould is present; this calculator does not monetize building or health effects.
Yes. Heat-pump dryers generally use less electricity per load, so each load shifted to a line usually saves less money and energy than a conventional electric dryer load.
Use kWh per cycle directly when shown. If the label gives annual kWh, divide it by the label's stated annual cycles. The U.S. DOE test convention uses 283 cycles per year, but regional labels can use different conventions.