How much does an electric clothes dryer cost per month in District of Columbia?

About $16.39 a month, assuming 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 25.21¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does an electric clothes dryer use?

Roughly 780 kWh a year under these assumptions.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

District of Columbia has the 9th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $143 a year.

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Cost to run an electric clothes dryer in District of Columbia (July 2026 rates)

At 25.21¢ per kilowatt-hour — District of Columbia's average residential price in July 2026 — running an electric clothes dryer costs $197 a year. That is 38% more than the national average of $143. District of Columbia's residential rate is up 9.4% from July 2025, which moves this appliance from $180 to $197 a year.

Per cycle: 75.6¢
Per day: 53.9¢
Per month: $16.39
Per year: $197

Assumption: 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week — 780 kWh a year. A standard vented electric dryer. Heat-pump dryers use roughly half this per load. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How District of Columbia compares

District of Columbia pays 25.21¢/kWh, the 9th most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $53.82 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same electric clothes dryer costs $99.22 a year in Louisiana and $374 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $275 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
Connecticut	24.16¢	$15.70	$188
New Jersey	25.19¢	$16.37	$196
District of Columbia	25.21¢	$16.39	$197
New Hampshire	26.60¢	$17.29	$207
Rhode Island	28.29¢	$18.39	$221

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for an electric clothes dryer.

What else costs about the same in District of Columbia

Portable air conditioner$213 a year in DC Space heater$218 a year in DC Window air conditioner$174 a year in DC

Cutting the number down

The spin speed of the washer sets the dryer's workload. A faster final spin removes water mechanically instead of thermally, which is far cheaper.
A blocked lint screen or crushed vent hose makes every load run longer at full heat.
Back-to-back loads reuse a drum that is already hot.

Questions

How much does an electric clothes dryer cost per month in District of Columbia?: About $16.39 a month, assuming 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 25.21¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does an electric clothes dryer use?: Roughly 780 kWh a year under these assumptions.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: District of Columbia has the 9th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $143 a year.