Running cost for the Whirlpool WCD3090J**
The Whirlpool WCD3090J** is certified by ENERGY STAR at 317 kWh a year, one of the cheaper models in its category to run among clothes dryers currently certified.
That $60 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
Against the category average of 572 kWh/yr, this model uses 44.6% less, ranking 93 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 $48/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 Whirlpool WCD3090J**: TRUARCTIC TAFD2438HW ($60/yr, 317 kWh/yr), then Whirlpool WCD5090J** ($60/yr, 317 kWh/yr).
Within the Whirlpool lineup
Ranked 5 of Whirlpool's 114 certified clothes dryers, this sits between the WHD3090G** ($43/yr, the brand's cheapest) and the WGF5727T** ($129/yr, its priciest).
Whirlpool WCD3090J** over 12 years
12 years is NAHB's typical service life for this category; at $60/year, the Whirlpool WCD3090J** adds up to about $715 in electricity over that span.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified clothes dryers go, $60/year is a reasonable baseline if you're comparing what else is on the market.
Compare current ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers before buying.
If you're keeping it
At $60/year just to run, a clothes dryer is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
Where this number comes from
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 317 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 93 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the Whirlpool WCD3090J** 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.