Gas vs Electric Dryer

An electric dryer uses roughly 800 kilowatt-hours a year, and a gas dryer roughly 30 therms of gas, based on about five loads a week. NRDC priced those at about $100 and $40 a year in its analysis, and the gap is wider when electricity costs more than gas. Gas models also cost around $50 more to buy, according to the ENERGY STAR scoping report.

The real swing factor is the gas line. HomeGuide puts new gas piping for a dryer at $400 to $900, which can erase years of savings in a home that has none. About 80% of US households use electric dryers and 19% to 20% use gas. The calculator uses EIA's current prices.

Gas vs Electric Dryer side by side

Last verified October 2026. Typical values; individual animals, products and local prices vary.

Which one fits you

Gas

• Your laundry area already has a gas hookup and you do several loads a week.
• Gas costs less per unit of energy than electricity where you live, roughly a third at national average prices.
• You want the lowest running cost and can accept a purchase premium of about $50.
• A gas utility rebate of $50 to $100 is available and offsets the higher price.

Electric Dryer

• Your home has no gas line and running one would cost $400 to $900 or more.
• You do few loads a week, so running cost savings from gas stay small.
• You want a heat pump dryer, which uses about 70% less energy than a conventional model.
• You prefer a 240 volt installation and no gas connection at all.

How this works

This page compares the two dryer types using NRDC and ENERGY STAR figures for energy use and HomeGuide for cost ranges. Older research prices are replaced here with the latest EIA energy prices in the calculator. Sources are listed below.

Energy per load assumes about 260 loads a year, matching NRDC's five-loads-a-week estimate. The calculator does not include venting, maintenance or the dryer's purchase price, since only the difference between gas and electric models is modeled. Enter your own utility rates, since they change the answer more than any other input does.

Electricity is EIA's 2025 US residential average of 17.3 cents per kWh. Gas is $1.70 per therm, inside EIA's 2026 monthly range of about $14 to $26 per Mcf. Energy per load (3 kWh, 0.11 therm) comes from NRDC's 800 kWh and 30 therm yearly figures. Gas premium is $50 over electric; purchase prices otherwise match, so only the difference is shown.

Where these numbers come from

The figures and defaults on this page are based on:

• NRDC: Residential Clothes Dryers, A Closer Look at Energy Efficiency, Annual energy use and cost of gas and electric dryers. (checked October 2026)
• ENERGY STAR: Scoping Report, Residential Clothes Dryers, Market share, gas dryer price premium, rebates and 283 cycles per year. (checked October 2026)
• HomeGuide: How Much Does It Cost to Run a Dryer?, Per-load energy and cost ranges for gas and electric dryers. (checked October 2026)
• HomeGuide: Gas Line Installation Cost, Cost of running a gas line to a dryer. (checked October 2026)
• EIA: Electricity Prices and Factors Affecting Prices, US residential electricity price of 17.30 cents per kWh in 2025. (checked October 2026)
• EIA: Residential Natural Gas Price History, Monthly US residential natural gas prices for 2025 and 2026. (checked October 2026)

Planning estimates. Your local utility rates and gas line distance drive the real result.