Laundry · Illinois
How Much Does It Cost to Run a Clothes Dryer in Illinois?
The short answer
A typical clothes dryer uses about 3.00 kWh per load, which costs $0.58 per load in Illinois — about $12.53 a month at 5 loads a week.
That’s based on Illinois’s average residential rate of 19.2¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 5% above the US average.
Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated
Clothes Dryer cost by number of loads in Illinois
| Usage | kWh/month | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 load/week | 13.0 | $0.08 | $2.51 | $30.07 |
| 3 loads/week | 39.1 | $0.25 | $7.52 | $90.20 |
| 5 loads/week | 65.2 | $0.41 | $12.53 | $150 |
| 7 loads/week | 91.3 | $0.58 | $17.54 | $210 |
| 10 loads/week | 130.4 | $0.82 | $25.06 | $301 |
| 14 loads/week | 182.5 | $1.15 | $35.08 | $421 |
Illinois vs other states
At typical use, a clothes dryer costs $150 a year in Illinois — $225 less than in Hawaii and $50.84 more than in Louisiana.
Illinois has the 17th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Illinois price per kWh · all states ranked
Electricity price trend in Illinois
19.2¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +11.6% from a year earlier.
How to lower the cost of running a clothes dryer
Electric dryers have heating elements of around 5,000W, and a typical load takes 45–60 minutes with the element cycling, for roughly 2.5–3.5 kWh per load. Heat pump dryers use about half as much, and line drying uses none. Moisture sensors that stop the cycle when clothes are dry save more than timed cycles.
- Use the moisture-sensing (auto-dry) setting instead of a fixed timer.
- Clean the lint filter every load and check the vent duct yearly.
- Dry loads back-to-back to use leftover heat, and air-dry when you can.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost per load to run a clothes dryer in Illinois?
A typical load uses about 3.00 kWh, which costs $0.58 at Illinois’s average rate of 19.2¢/kWh. An efficient model can cost as little as $0.29 per load.
How many kWh does a clothes dryer use per month?
At 5 loads a week, a typical clothes dryer uses about 65.2 kWh a month. In Illinois that costs $12.53.
Is it expensive to run a clothes dryer in Illinois?
Illinois has the 17th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 19.2¢/kWh — pricier than most. Running a clothes dryer here costs about $150 a year at typical use, compared with $143 at the national average rate.
What is the electricity rate in Illinois right now?
The average residential electricity rate in Illinois was 19.2¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 11.6% from a year earlier.
How many kWh does a dryer use per load?
Typically 2.5–3.5 kWh for a standard electric dryer, and about half that for a heat pump dryer.
Clothes Dryer costs in nearby states
Other appliances in Illinois
Cheapest and priciest states
Comparisons
Sources & method
- Electricity rates: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly — average residential retail price, July 2026 (latest available). Retrieved .
- CO₂: EIA State Electricity Profiles, 2024 emissions rate of in-state power generation.
- Default usage for clothes dryer: 5 loads a week. Typical power 5,000W.
- Formulas, duty cycles and limitations: methodology. Data download: open data (CC BY 4.0).