LG DLG6481 Running Cost (Clothes Dryer)
Running cost for the LG DLG6481
The LG DLG6481 is certified by ENERGY STAR at 685 kWh a year, more expensive than most models in its category to run among clothes dryers currently certified.
The $129 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
LG DLG6481 against the category
That's 19.8% above the clothes dryer category average of 572 kWh/yr, and ranks 469 of 639 certified clothes dryers for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. The category average comes from every clothes dryer ENERGY STAR currently certifies (639 models), not an outside benchmark, about $21/year above that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
LG DLG7001 ($129/yr, 685 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the LG DLG6481. LG DLG6101 ($129/yr, 685 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Within the LG lineup
LG makes 144 ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers; this one ranks 95 of 144 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the DLHC1455 at $25/yr, and its priciest, the WSGX201HA at $129/yr.
Cost over its typical lifespan
12 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $129/year, the LG DLG6481 adds up to about $1,545 in electricity over that span.
Weighing a replacement
The LG DLG6481 runs above its category average. If the clothes dryer you actually own is older still, likely well past ENERGY STAR's efficiency baseline when it was made, a current certified model could cost meaningfully less than this model's $129/year every year.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers before buying.
Protecting what you have
$129/year to run is the predictable cost of the LG DLG6481; a protection plan covers the unpredictable one, a repair bill.
Sourcing
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. Ranked 469 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the LG DLG6481 is also worth reading with a caveat specific to this category: the methodology page explains why ENERGY STAR's own combined-energy figure for dryers can overstate the electric bill impact of a gas model. Whether a repair or a full replacement dryer makes more sense once the electric bill is this well known is covered in the guide to when replacing one pays off.