The Consumer Energy Center at the California Energy Commission indicates that a clothes dryer costs about $85 a year to operate and typically uses more energy than any other home appliance except the refrigerator. (CEC 2008) There are electric dryers and gas-fired dryers. New gas-fired models are required to use an electronic ignition system, which is more efficient than a pilot light.

Note that there are no EnergyGuide labels or ENERGY STAR® ratings for clothes dryers because most dryers use similar amounts of energy according to their type. Instead, clothes dryers are rated by Energy Factor (EF). An EF rating measures the number of pounds of clothing the dryer can dry with 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity usage. The higher the EF, the more energy-efficient the clothes dryer is. The federal minimum EF for a standard-capacity electric dryer is 3.01. For gas dryers, the federal minimum EF is 2.67.(CEC 2008)

Manufacturers have developed optional features in their efforts to make clothes dryers more energy efficient. You can now look for models that have a moisture sensor and automatic shutoff feature. This helps prevent over-drying, which not only wastes energy, but is hard on clothes. The best of these models have moisture sensors inside the drum. Lower-priced models have thermostats that "infer" dryness by measuring the temperature of the exhaust air. Either way, “smart” dryers are a much better deal for you than the older, timer-only machines. Compared to the older dryers, you can save 10% with a temperature-sensing control, and 15% with a moisture-sensing control.

Source: Wendell A. Porter, Hyun-Jeong Lee, and Kathleen C. Ruppert, Energy Efficient Homes: Laundry Area UF/IFAS FCS3260, 2008

Additional Resources

EnergyStar®  - http://www.energystar.gov/

UF IFAS Energy Efficient Homes: Laundry Area - http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY1030