Running cost for the LG DLGX7881*E
The LG DLGX7881*E 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.
That $129 is priced at 18.8¢/kWh, the average of all 51 state rates this site tracks. Your own state's rate is one click away.
Efficient, or not, for a clothes dryer
The category average is 572 kWh/yr; this model runs 19.8% above it, ranking 505 of 639 clothes dryers tracked here for running cost. That average is drawn from all 639 clothes dryers ENERGY STAR currently certifies, not an outside number, a $21/year gap from this model at the national rate. Full sourcing is in the sourcing notes.
Right next to it on the list
A rank or two either side of the LG DLGX7881*E: LG DLGX7801*E ($129/yr, 685 kWh/yr), then LG DLGX7901*E ($129/yr, 685 kWh/yr).
Same brand, different models
Ranked 131 of LG's 144 certified clothes dryers, this sits between the DLHC1455* ($25/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the WSGX201H*A ($129/yr, its priciest).
What this adds up to over time
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical clothes dryer's service life at 12 years; run the LG DLGX7881*E that long and it costs about $1,545 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Shopping for a new one
Running above the category average, $129/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers before buying.
If you're keeping it
A clothes dryer like the LG DLGX7881*E is a real household expense whether or not it needs replacing yet; a protection plan is one way to budget for a repair rather than a full replacement.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 685 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 505 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the LG DLGX7881*E 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.