At the US average residential electricity rate of 18.31¢ per kWh (EIA, July 2026) and EIA’s 2025 average residential natural gas price of $15.34 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf), a gas dryer costs about 12¢ a load and an electric dryer about 39¢ (our arithmetic). Over a year that is roughly $35 against $111, a gap of about $77. The gap shrinks when gas gets expensive and widens in high-electricity states. This guide shows the arithmetic, the break-even gas price for several states and where a heat pump dryer fits. It is one piece of our appliance electricity cost guide.
Where the Energy Numbers Come From
We used the ENERGY STAR certified-dryer list (data.energystar.gov, retrieved October 2026), which reports annual energy use for every certified model, with gas models converted to kWh equivalents. The median vented electric standard-size dryer is rated at 608 kWh a year. The 192 gas models on the list are rated at 685 to 687 kWh-equivalent, essentially one value, so there is little efficiency spread among gas dryers. The combined energy factor (CEF, pounds of laundry per kWh-equivalent) gives the cycle count: a standard 8.45 lb test load divided by the CEF gives about 2.15 kWh per load for the electric median (3.93 CEF) and 2.43 kWh-equivalent for gas (3.48 CEF). Both ratings therefore assume about 283 cycles a year, roughly 5.4 loads a week (our arithmetic). If you dry more or fewer loads, scale the totals in proportion.
A gas dryer burns more energy than an electric one by this measure, about 13% more. It still costs far less because a unit of gas energy is much cheaper than a unit of electricity. One therm is 100,000 Btu, or 29.3 kWh. EIA’s 2025 price works out to $1.48 a therm (we divided $15.34 by 10.37 therms per Mcf, based on EIA’s 1,037 Btu per cubic foot heat content), or about 5.0¢ per kWh-equivalent, against 18.31¢ for electricity.
Cost Per Load and Per Year
| Electric (ES median) | Gas, EIA 2025 average price | Gas, EIA July 2026 price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy rating, kWh or kWh-equivalent a year | 608 | 687 | 687 |
| Price | 18.31¢ per kWh | $15.34 per Mcf | $26.45 per Mcf |
| Cost per load | $0.39 | $0.12 | $0.21 |
| Cost per year (283 loads) | $111.32 | $34.68 | $59.79 |
| Cost per month | $9.28 | $2.89 | $4.98 |
Gas figures assume all of the energy is gas. A real gas dryer also uses a small amount of electricity for the motor and controls; we have no sourced figure for it, so it is left out. The July 2026 figure is a single summer month, so treat the annual 2025 average as the fairer comparison and July as a high case. Even at July’s price, gas is about $52 a year cheaper than electric (our arithmetic).
The Break-Even Gas Price by State
Gas prices differ by utility, so we flip the question: what gas price would make the two dryers cost the same? We set the gas dryer’s 23.44 therms a year (687 kWh-equivalent) equal to the electric dryer’s 608 kWh times each state’s July 2026 electricity rate (EIA), our arithmetic.
| State (electric rate) | Electric dryer a year | Break-even gas price per Mcf | Break-even per therm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana (12.72¢) | $77.34 | $34.21 | $3.30 |
| Texas (15.88¢) | $96.55 | $42.71 | $4.12 |
| US average (18.31¢) | $111.32 | $49.25 | $4.75 |
| New York (29.90¢) | $181.79 | $80.43 | $7.76 |
| California (33.61¢) | $204.35 | $90.40 | $8.72 |
Read it this way: if your gas price is below the number in the table, the gas dryer is cheaper to run. The national 2025 gas average of $15.34 and even the July 2026 reading of $26.45 sit well under every break-even in the table, including Louisiana’s. Find your own electricity rate in our state-by-state electric bill guide and your gas price on your utility bill, then compare. Hawaii is left out because we have no sourced residential gas price for the state.
What About a Heat Pump Dryer?
A ventless heat pump or condensing dryer recirculates its air instead of venting heated air outside, so it uses much less energy per load. In the same ENERGY STAR list, standard-size ventless electric dryers have a median of 435 kWh a year, about $79.65 at 18.31¢, and the most efficient is rated at 217 kWh, about $39.73 (our arithmetic). That list mixes several ventless designs, so check the specific model’s rating. Compact 240-volt ventless units show a median of 317 kWh, but their drums are about 4.2 cubic feet against 7.4 for standard models, so cost per pound dried is the fairer comparison.
The result: the most efficient electric heat pump dryer on the list runs for about the same yearly cost as a gas dryer at the 2025 price ($40 against $35), but it needs no gas line or vent. We have no sourced purchase prices for either type, so the upfront gap is yours to price locally.
Payback on Switching
Divide the extra upfront cost of the gas dryer, including any gas line work, by the yearly saving. Suppose a gas dryer plus line cost $300 more than an electric one (a hypothetical, not a quote); at the $77 yearly saving from the first table, payback takes about 3.9 years. At Louisiana’s electricity rate, with gas still at the national 2025 price, the saving falls to about $43 a year and payback stretches to 7 years (our arithmetic). Compare it with the other gas-versus-electric decisions in the house, such as our heat pump versus gas furnace guide.
Ways to Cut Dryer Costs Either Way
- Clean the lint filter every load and the vent duct regularly; restricted airflow lengthens each cycle.
- Use the moisture sensor setting instead of a timer so the dryer stops when clothes are dry.
- Spin faster in the washer. Less water left in the clothes means less drying. A new washer’s spin speed matters; see our washing machine repair or replace guide.
- Dry full loads and similar fabrics together.
- Check your own bill. Our guide on lowering your electric bill ranks the big levers, and the electric bill estimator shows what 283 loads adds.
The Bottom Line
For the 283 loads a year that ENERGY STAR’s ratings assume, an electric dryer costs about $111 at 18.31¢ per kWh and a gas dryer about $35 at EIA’s 2025 gas average ($60 at July 2026’s price). Gas wins at every price in our table. A heat pump dryer closes the gap without a gas line. Before you decide, check your own rates, because the break-even price runs from $34 per Mcf in Louisiana to $90 in California.
FAQ
Is it cheaper to run a gas dryer or an electric dryer?
At the US averages we used, gas: about 12¢ a load against 39¢ for electric, and about $35 against $111 a year (our arithmetic from ENERGY STAR ratings and EIA prices).
How much electricity does an electric dryer use per load?
About 2.15 kWh for the median vented electric model, which is 608 kWh a year spread over the 283 cycles ENERGY STAR assumes, or about 39¢ a load at 18.31¢ per kWh.
How many loads a year does the rating assume?
283, which we derived by dividing annual kWh by per-load kWh from the CEF. That is about 5.4 loads a week. Households that dry more loads pay proportionally more.
Do gas dryers use electricity?
Yes, for the drum motor, controls and igniter. We have no sourced figure for how much, so our gas costs count only the gas.
Is a heat pump dryer cheaper than a gas dryer?
The most efficient ventless electric model on ENERGY STAR’s list costs about $40 a year at 18.31¢, close to a gas dryer’s $35 at the 2025 gas average. Typical ventless models cost more, about $80 at the median.