Running a clothes dryer
in Maine
Meter reading
per year
608 kWh certified × 28.63¢ per kWh ÷ 100 — median of 628 listed models
Default: Maine residential average, 28.63¢ per kWh, EIA JUL 2026. Overwrite it with the rate printed on your own bill.
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·tariff Maine residential average 28.63¢ — EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
$174.07 a year A typical ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryer uses 608 kWh a year. At Maine's average residential price of 28.63¢ per kWh, that is $174.07 a year, or $14.51 a month.
The tariff scales the whole rail; the model you buy is what moves the gate along it. The most efficient certified clothes dryer on this tariff draws $34.93 a year, the least efficient $196.69 — a standing difference of $161.76 a year for an appliance doing the same job.
How this is worked out
- Take the certified annual consumption for the appliance class off the EPA's ENERGY STAR register — the median of every listed model, not a wattage anyone assumed.
- Take the residential tariff off the EIA's Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A. Here that is Maine's residential average, 28.63¢ per kWh.
- Multiply, then divide by 100 to come out of cents. Nothing is rounded before this line.
- Derive the rest of the schedule from that one figure: ÷ 12 monthly, ÷ 365 daily, × 10 for a ten-year life.
- Overwrite the tariff terminal with the rate printed on your own bill and the register re-reads. The certified consumption does not move — that is the half of the sum nobody gets to opinion their way out of.
annual cost ($) = certified kWh per year × tariff ¢ per kWh ÷ 100
Every certified clothes dryer, cheapest to run first
The register above reads the median. This is the whole list it was taken from, priced at Maine's tariff. Running cost only — purchase price, capacity and repair record are not in this column, and a cheap-to-run model is not automatically the right buy.
| # | Model | kWh/yr | Cost/yr | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bosch WQB245AXUC · Electric | 122 | $34.93 | saves $139.14 |
| 2 | Bosch WTW87NH1UC · Electric | 125 | $35.79 | saves $138.28 |
| 3 | Samsung DV25B69**H* · Electric | 125 | $35.79 | saves $138.28 |
| 4 | Samsung DV25FG50*0** · Electric | 125 | $35.79 | saves $138.28 |
| 5 | Miele TWF160 WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 6 | Miele TWI180 WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 7 | Miele TWB120 WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 8 | LG DLHC1455* · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 9 | Miele TXR860WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 10 | Miele TWI680WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 11 | Miele TXI680WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 12 | Miele TWD360WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 13 | Miele TWD160WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 14 | Miele TXD160WP · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 15 | LG WKHC152H*A · Electric | 133 | $38.08 | saves $135.99 |
| 16 | Asko T3HW.U · Electric | 142 | $40.65 | saves $133.42 |
| 17 | Samsung DV22N685*H* · Electric | 145 | $41.51 | saves $132.56 |
| 18 | Samsung DV22N680*H* · Electric | 145 | $41.51 | saves $132.56 |
| 19 | Blomberg DHP24400W · Electric | 149 | $42.66 | saves $131.41 |
| 20 | Blomberg DHP24412W · Electric | 149 | $42.66 | saves $131.41 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·628 certified clothes dryers on the register, listed by certified consumption·REVIEWED JUL 2026
What the certification spread is worth on this tariff
| Certified models in this category | 628 |
|---|---|
| Lowest certified energy use | 122 kWh/yr — $34.93/yr |
| Median certified energy use | 608 kWh/yr — $174.07/yr |
| Highest certified energy use | 687 kWh/yr — $196.69/yr |
| Difference, best to worst | $161.76 a year |
| …over a 10-year life | $1617.60 |
SOURCE·ENERGY STAR certified product data·priced at Maine's residential average, 28.63¢ per kWh·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same clothes dryer on 51 tariffs
| State | Price per kWh | Cost per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $316.16 | $26.35 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $202.16 | $16.85 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $181.97 | $15.16 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $179.12 | $14.93 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $175.23 | $14.60 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $174.07 | $14.51 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $171.64 | $14.30 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $166.41 | $13.87 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $166.17 | $13.85 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $154.43 | $12.87 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $151.33 | $12.61 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $145.01 | $12.08 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $141.48 | $11.79 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $133.82 | $11.15 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $132.36 | $11.03 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $131.02 | $10.92 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $120.02 | $10.00 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $118.68 | $9.89 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $117.83 | $9.82 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $110.35 | $9.20 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $107.07 | $8.92 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $103.06 | $8.59 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $102.14 | $8.51 |
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $101.96 | $8.50 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $99.96 | $8.33 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $98.92 | $8.24 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $98.37 | $8.20 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $98.25 | $8.19 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $98.25 | $8.19 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $96.31 | $8.03 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $95.64 | $7.97 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $92.60 | $7.72 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $92.23 | $7.69 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $91.99 | $7.67 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $91.75 | $7.65 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $91.08 | $7.59 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $90.90 | $7.57 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $89.98 | $7.50 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $89.19 | $7.43 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $87.98 | $7.33 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $87.31 | $7.28 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $86.03 | $7.17 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $85.97 | $7.16 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $85.85 | $7.15 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $83.17 | $6.93 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $82.75 | $6.90 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $82.69 | $6.89 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $82.63 | $6.89 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $81.35 | $6.78 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $78.80 | $6.57 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $75.09 | $6.26 |
One certified clothes dryer at the median consumption of 608 kWh a year, wired to 51 different tariffs. Same appliance, same duty cycle, same certification — only the tariff changes.
SOURCE·US EIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A·retrieved 2026-07-28·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Schedule notes
How much does it cost to run a clothes dryer in Maine?
About $174.07 a year — $14.51 a month — for a typical ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryer using 608 kWh annually, at Maine's average residential rate of 28.63¢ per kWh.
How much electricity does a clothes dryer use?
Certified models range from 122 to 687 kWh a year, with a median of 608 kWh. That spread means the model you choose changes the running cost by $161.76 a year in Maine.
Is that more or less than the rest of the country?
Maine has the 6th highest residential electricity price of the 51 states and DC, at 28.63¢ against a national average of 19.41¢. The same clothes dryer costs $118.01 a year at the national average — $56.06 less than you pay.
Will my bill actually go up by this much?
Only roughly. This is the certified test figure at your state's average price. Your own tariff, how heavily you use the appliance, and its age all move the real number. Older non-certified appliances often use considerably more.
Other circuits on the Maine tariff
Same tariff, same method, one certified median each.
Consumption: US EPA ENERGY STAR certified product data. Tariff: US EIA Electric Power Monthly, retrieved 2026-07-28. Estimates for comparison only. Your actual bill depends on your tariff, how often you run the appliance, and local conditions.
