Gas Dryer vs. Electric Dryer: Which Costs Less Over 10 Years?
A gas dryer can cost less to operate than a conventional electric dryer.
A third option is worth considering: compare a heat pump dryer with a conventional electric dryer to see whether lower energy use offsets the purchase premium.
But that does not automatically make gas the cheaper dryer to own.
If you are replacing both laundry appliances, compare front-load and top-load washer costs as a separate purchasing decision.
The biggest reason is simple:
Your laundry room already has an energy infrastructure.
If your home already has a usable gas connection, gas may have a strong financial advantage. If switching to gas requires new piping or other work, the conversion cost can erase years of operating savings.
The same principle applies to an electric dryer if the required electrical connection is not already available.
So the useful comparison is not simply gas price versus electricity price.
Purchase Price + Installation + Hookup / Conversion Work + Annual Utility Cost
= 5-Year and 10-Year Ownership Cost
Gas vs. Electric Dryer Cost Calculator
Enter the actual dryer specifications, purchase prices, installation quotes and utility rates available to you.
For a gas dryer, the calculator separates natural gas from the electricity used by the dryer's motor, controls and other electrical components.
Gas vs. Electric Dryer 10-Year Cost Calculator
Gas Dryer
Conventional Electric Dryer
Your Utility Rates
Planning estimate only. Default dryer specifications, prices, installation costs and natural gas rate are illustrative inputs, not national averages. Replace them with actual product data, quotes and utility rates whenever possible.
Gas vs. Electric Dryer: What Actually Determines the Winner?
The heat source matters, but it is only one part of ownership cost.
The better equation is:
Purchase Price + Installation + Required Hookup Work
+
Operating Cost
Electricity and/or Natural Gas
= Total Ownership Cost
This is why two households comparing similar dryers can reach different conclusions.
A house that already has the necessary gas connection starts with very different economics from a house that must be converted to gas.
Start With the Connections You Already Have
Before comparing dryer prices, check the laundry room.
DOE defines an electric clothes dryer as a tumble dryer whose heat source is electricity.
A gas clothes dryer uses gas as its heat source, while its drum and blower are still driven by electric motors.
In practical terms, that means a gas dryer uses both gas and electricity.
If your home already supports the dryer type you are buying, replacement may avoid substantial conversion work.
If changing dryer types requires gas piping or electrical work, that expense belongs in the ownership calculation.
How Much Does a Conventional Electric Dryer Cost to Run?
The basic calculation is:
Annual kWh × Electricity Rate
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a U.S. residential average electricity price of 18.34 cents per kWh for June 2026.
Using the calculator's illustrative 608 kWh/year input:
608 × $0.1834 = $111.51 per year.
That 608 kWh figure is an illustrative dryer input for this calculator. It should not be treated as the energy consumption of every conventional electric dryer.
Actual electricity use varies by model and household use, while electricity prices vary substantially by location.
How Much Does a Gas Dryer Cost to Run?
A gas dryer's bill has two energy components:
Natural Gas + Electricity
Using the calculator's illustrative inputs:
- 24 therms/year
- 30 kWh/year
- $1.82/therm
- 18.34¢/kWh
Estimated natural gas cost:
24 × $1.82 = $43.68 per year.
Estimated electricity cost:
30 × $0.1834 = $5.50 per year.
Total:
about $49.18 per year.
The 24 therms, 30 kWh and $1.82/therm figures are illustrative planning assumptions, not U.S. national averages.
Enter your utility's actual gas rate and the specifications of the dryer you are considering whenever possible.
Why the Natural Gas Rate Needs Extra Care
Natural gas pricing is not as simple as choosing one permanent national number.
EIA publishes residential natural gas prices by month and state, and those prices can move substantially through the year.
They can also include utility pricing structures that differ from one service territory to another.
For that reason, the most useful gas-dryer calculation uses the rate from your own gas bill.
The calculator's default $1.82 per therm exists only to make the calculator usable before you enter your own number.
ENERGY STAR's CEF Helps Compare Dryer Efficiency
ENERGY STAR uses Combined Energy Factor, or CEF, as a clothes-dryer efficiency metric.
CEF measures the amount of laundry dried relative to the energy consumed under the test procedure.
Higher CEF means a more efficient dryer.
Current ENERGY STAR criteria include the following minimum CEF levels:
| Dryer Type | Minimum CEF |
|---|---|
| Vented Gas | 3.48 lbs/kWh |
| Standard Ventless or Vented Electric | 3.93 lbs/kWh |
These are ENERGY STAR certification thresholds, not estimates of your annual utility bill.
CEF is useful for comparing dryer efficiency, while the calculator above is designed to compare the dollars you may actually spend.
Why Gas-Dryer Energy Data Can Be Confusing
ENERGY STAR's test methodology can express gas-dryer energy on a common energy basis.
That is useful for comparing efficiency across products that use different fuels.
But it does not mean a gas dryer should be treated as though all of its energy consumption appears on the electric bill.
For household-cost calculations, separating actual natural gas consumption from actual electricity consumption is clearer whenever those figures are available.
Installation Cost Can Completely Change the Result
Suppose gas saves about $60 per year in operating cost.
If the two dryer options have similar upfront costs, that recurring saving can become meaningful fairly quickly.
But suppose switching to gas adds $800 in additional installation work.
Then:
$800 ÷ $60 ≈ 13.3 years.
The conversion cost alone would take more than 13 years to recover through that assumed annual saving.
This is why:
is not the same question as:
“Gas costs less to own.”
Existing Gas Hookup vs. Switching to Gas
An existing usable gas connection can make the economics of a gas dryer much stronger.
Switching a laundry room to gas is a different decision.
The required work varies by home, local requirements and the existing gas system.
CostCandid therefore does not insert a generic national gas-line installation price into the calculation.
Use the quote for your house.
What If the Electric Dryer Requires Electrical Work?
The same logic applies to electric dryers.
If the required electrical infrastructure is already present, conversion cost may be minimal.
If electrical work is required, include it.
A fair comparison cannot charge the gas option for conversion work while pretending the electric option has no infrastructure cost.
5-Year vs. 10-Year Ownership Cost
Upfront cost dominates short ownership periods.
Recurring energy cost becomes increasingly important as the ownership period grows.
That's why the calculator reports both five-year and 10-year totals.
A $500 conversion cost matters a lot if you expect to move in three years.
The same $500 may be easier to justify if the operating savings are substantial and you expect to keep the dryer for a decade.
Does Gas Always Cost Less to Operate?
No.
Gas prices vary by location and time.
Electricity prices vary as well.
Dryer efficiency also differs from model to model.
The correct calculation uses:
- Your actual electricity rate
- Your actual natural gas rate
- The actual dryer specifications
- The actual purchase prices
- The actual installation requirements
What About Heat Pump Dryers?
Heat pump dryers are a separate buying decision.
They use a different drying technology and can have very different electricity consumption and purchase prices from conventional resistance electric dryers.
This article intentionally focuses on:
Gas Dryer vs. Conventional Electric Dryer.
If you're considering heat-pump technology, evaluate it separately rather than mixing three different technologies into one gas-versus-electric calculation.
When a Gas Dryer Can Make Financial Sense
Gas becomes more attractive when:
- Your home already has the required gas connection
- Your local gas price is favorable relative to electricity
- The gas dryer's purchase-price premium is modest
- You use the dryer frequently
- You expect to keep the appliance for many years
When a Conventional Electric Dryer Can Make More Sense
Electric becomes more attractive when:
- The required electrical connection is already available
- Switching to gas would require expensive work
- The electric dryer has a lower purchase price
- Your household uses the dryer relatively little
- Your local energy prices favor electricity
Gas vs. Electric Dryer: Quick Comparison
| Factor | Gas Dryer | Conventional Electric |
|---|---|---|
| Heat source | Natural gas | Electricity |
| Uses electricity? | Yes | Yes — primary energy source |
| Best infrastructure case | Existing usable gas connection | Existing required electrical connection |
| Conversion risk | New gas work can change economics | Electrical work can change economics |
| Operating cost | Gas + electricity | Electricity |
| Correct comparison | Purchase + installation + conversion + energy over expected ownership period | |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a gas dryer cheaper to run than an electric dryer?
It can be, but there is no universal winner. The result depends on the dryer's efficiency and your local natural gas and electricity prices.
Is a gas dryer cheaper over 10 years?
Possibly. Lower operating costs can offset a higher purchase price, but gas-line or other conversion work can delay or eliminate the financial advantage.
Does a gas dryer use electricity?
Yes. DOE defines gas clothes dryers as using gas for heat while the drum and blower are driven by electric motors.
Should I switch from electric to gas?
Include the full cost of switching. If a new gas connection makes the gas option hundreds or thousands of dollars more expensive upfront, compare that cost with the expected annual operating savings.
What if my home already has a gas dryer?
An existing usable gas connection removes one potentially important conversion cost, which can improve the economics of replacing gas with gas.
What if I already have an electric dryer connection?
That can improve the economics of staying electric because major electrical conversion work may not be necessary.
What does CEF mean?
Combined Energy Factor is ENERGY STAR's clothes-dryer efficiency metric. Higher CEF indicates greater efficiency under the applicable test procedure.
Should I compare gas with a heat pump dryer here?
No. This calculator is designed specifically for gas versus conventional electric dryers. Heat-pump dryers have sufficiently different efficiency and purchase-price characteristics to justify a separate comparison.
The Bottom Line
Gas can cost less to operate.
Electric can cost less to install.
Neither fact tells you which dryer is cheaper for your house.
= The Better Financial Choice
If you already have gas, compare gas with electric using the actual dryer specifications.
If you would need to add gas infrastructure, put that full quote into the calculator before deciding.
The cheapest fuel does not necessarily produce the lowest 10-year ownership cost.
CostCandid Methodology
This article answers one specific question:
Which costs less over the ownership period: a gas dryer or a conventional electric dryer?
The calculator uses:
(Annual Therms × Gas Rate) + (Annual kWh × Electricity Rate)
Electric Annual Cost
Annual kWh × Electricity Rate
Upfront Cost
Purchase Price + Basic Installation + Additional Hookup Cost
5-Year Total
Upfront Cost + 5 × Annual Utility Cost
10-Year Total
Upfront Cost + 10 × Annual Utility Cost
Simple Gas Payback
Additional Gas Upfront Cost ÷ Annual Gas Operating Savings
The default electricity rate is 18.34¢/kWh, the June 2026 U.S. residential average reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The default dryer purchase prices, installation costs, energy-consumption assumptions and $1.82/therm gas rate are illustrative planning inputs. They are not presented as current national averages.
ENERGY STAR uses Combined Energy Factor (CEF) to compare clothes-dryer efficiency. Higher CEF means greater efficiency.
The calculator excludes repairs, maintenance, taxes, financing, rebates, future energy-price changes, vent maintenance, differences in appliance lifespan and time value of money.
Data checked: September 2026.
Sources
- ENERGY STAR — Clothes Dryers
- ENERGY STAR — Clothes Dryers Key Product Criteria
- U.S. Department of Energy — Consumer Clothes Dryers
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Residential Electricity Prices
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — Residential Natural Gas Prices
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