Do ventless dryers cost less to run?
Heat-pump and compact ventless dryers change the yearly figure substantially.
Every figure below is computed from the catalogue, not written by hand · updated October 19, 2026
Average yearly running cost by type
| What it is | kWh a year | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|
| Compact vented dryer, 120V3 models | 133 | $24 |
| Compact ventless dryer, 120V9 models | 133 | $24 |
| Compact ventless dryer, 240V44 models | 254 | $46 |
| Compact vented dryer, 240V3 models | 270 | $49 |
| Ventless electric dryer38 models | 370 | $67 |
| Vented electric dryer239 models | 608 | $110 |
Priced a year at the U.S. average residential rate.
Why ventless wins on electricity
A standard vented dryer heats room air, passes it through the clothes once, and throws it outside — along with the energy used to heat it, and the conditioned air it pulled from your house. A ventless dryer recycles that air: a heat pump or condenser pulls the moisture out and reheats the same air, so the heat is used repeatedly instead of once.
The trade is time. Ventless cycles run longer and finish clothes cooler. Compact ventless units are also genuinely small — fine for one or two people, slow for a family.
Figures assume 283 cycles a year, per the DOE test procedure (10 CFR 430 Subpart B, Appendix D1/D2).
One thing to check before you switch
Dryers do not carry an EnergyGuide sticker — the FTC's labelling rule has no label-content section for them — so there is no printed figure on the machine to compare against. The certified energy use is the only published number, and it is what every dryer page on this site is built from.
Where these numbers come from
Averages across every certified electric clothes dryer we hold. Gas dryers are excluded: their energy is not electricity.
Costs are that energy use multiplied by a state's average residential electricity price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Change the state above and every figure on this page moves with it. Full methodology.