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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Clothes Dryer in Canada? (2026)
Electric tumble dryers are among the most power-hungry appliances in the house, drawing 3,000 watts or more while heating. A single load can cost more than a full day of refrigeration.
A typical clothes dryer (3,000 W) costs C$0.42 per hour, or about C$12.60 per month at 1 hours a day in Canada (average). Expensive to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (1,800 W) | C$0.25 | C$0.25 | C$7.56 | C$91.98 |
| Typical (3,000 W) | C$0.42 | C$0.42 | C$12.60 | C$153.30 |
| High (5,000 W) | C$0.70 | C$0.70 | C$21.00 | C$255.50 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 1 h/day ≈ 1,095 kWh per year.
In Canada, with electricity at C$0.14 per kWh (source: Canada Energy Regulator 2026 market snapshot, 2026-06), a typical clothes dryer costs C$0.42 per hour and about C$153.30 per year at 1 hours a day. Each C$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 2.4 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a clothes dryer
- Clean the lint filter before every load. A clogged filter can add 30 percent to drying time.
- Use the moisture sensor setting rather than a fixed timer.
- Dry full loads, but do not overfill. Clothes need room to tumble.
- A heat pump dryer uses about half the electricity of a conventional vented dryer.
In standby it draws about 1 W, which adds roughly 9 kWh (C$1.23) per year if it is never unplugged.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one load in the dryer cost?
About 3 kWh for a conventional dryer. Multiply by your rate, or check the per-hour figure above.
Is air drying worth it?
Yes. A drying rack costs nothing to run, and even air drying half the loads cuts dryer costs in half.
Do dryer balls reduce electricity use?
Marginally. They can shorten drying time by a few minutes per load.
Compare with
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