Cost to run a condenser tumble dryer
A typical cycle uses 1.12 kWh, which costs 29.5p at 26.32p/kWh. At 2 cycles a week, that comes to £30.74 a year.
Each cycle costs
29.5p a cycle
That is 1.12 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £2.56 a month and £30.74 a year.
On the energy label, or in the manual for the programme you use.
| Period | Cost | Energy | CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|
| A cycle | 29.5p | 1.12 kWh | 243 g |
| A week | 59p | 2.24 kWh | 487 g |
| A month | £2.56 | 9.73 kWh | 2.1 kg |
| A year | £30.74 | 117 kWh | 25.4 kg |
How we calculated this
Each cycle uses 1.12 kWh, the kind of figure an energy label or test gives for a whole cycle, heating and all. A hotter or longer programme uses more.
The figures are for ENERGY STAR certified models sold in the US and Canada. Certified models are more efficient than the average model on sale, and many are larger than the ones sold in Europe, so an older or less efficient one will use more. ENERGY STAR calls these ventless dryers: they condense the moisture instead of venting it outside, and some use a heat pump. The energy for a load is ENERGY STAR’s annual figure divided by the 283 cycles it is based on, and the power is that energy divided by the test cycle’s length. The starting number of loads is between the survey’s winter and summer medians.
The starting use for a condenser tumble dryer, 2 cycles a week, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.
Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.
Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.
What drives the cost
A condenser tumble dryer condenses the moisture from the clothes instead of blowing it outside, and most certified ones use far less energy than a vented one: across 106 models the median load uses 1.12 kWh in a test cycle of about 67 minutes, which costs 29.5p at 26.32p/kWh.
Also called: ventless dryer, heat pump dryer, condensing dryer, ventless tumble dryer.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For a condenser tumble dryer used as typical (2 cycles a week), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | A cycle |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | 29.5p |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | 20.4¢ |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €0.45 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 0,43 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 0,29 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 0,30 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 0,33 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 0,29 |
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condenser tumble dryer | 1,003 W | — | £30.74 |
| Tumble dryer | 2,500 W | — | £58.96 |
| Washing machine | 2,100 W | — | £20.84 |
| Clothes iron | 1,500 W | 39.5p | £20.59 |
How to spend less on it
- Clean the filter and empty the water tank or check the drain after every load: a blocked filter makes every load run longer.
- Give it room and air: it works less well in a cold or cramped space.
- Dry a full drum but do not overfill it, and spin the wash fast first.
Questions
How much does a condenser tumble dryer cost per cycle?
A typical cycle uses 1.12 kWh, which costs 29.5p at 26.32p/kWh.
How much does a condenser tumble dryer cost to run a year?
Used 2 cycles a week, it costs about £30.74 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £2.56 a month.
How many watts does a condenser tumble dryer use?
Most draw between 479.4 W and 1,680 W while running, and 1,003 W is typical. The rating is on the label or in the manual.
Is a condenser or heat pump dryer cheaper to run than a vented one?
On ENERGY STAR’s figures, yes: a typical certified ventless dryer uses 1.12 kWh a load where a typical certified vented one uses 2.15 kWh, though ventless models cost more to buy. Across ventless models most use between 0.535 kWh a load and 1.88 kWh a load.
Sources
- ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Clothes Dryers (open data), ENERGY STAR, US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 September 2026. “ENERGY STAR certified electric ventless dryers, energy per load: median 1.12 kWh a load across 106 certified models, 10th to 90th percentile 0.535 kWh a load to 1.88 kWh a load (models where product_type in('Electric Standard Ventless','Electric Compact Ventless 240V')).”
- Energy Follow-Up Survey 2011, Report 9: Domestic appliances, cooking & cooling equipment, BRE for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, December 2013. “the median number of drying loads per week is 3 in the winter”
More calculators
- What appliances cost to run
Every appliance side by side, by category.
- Electricity cost calculator
Any appliance, from its wattage.
- Whole-home estimator
Add up everything you run, and check it against your bill.
- Electric car charging
What charging at home costs, against petrol or diesel.
- Heat pump or gas boiler
Running costs, payback and emissions.
- Battery backup
How long a home battery runs your essentials in a power cut.
- Solar panels
System size, production and payback for your roof.