Whirlpool WED4720R Running Cost (Clothes Dryer)
Running cost for the Whirlpool WED4720R
ENERGY STAR certifies the Whirlpool WED4720R at 608 kWh/yr, about average for its category to run for its category.
The $114 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Where this ranks
That's 6.3% above the clothes dryer category average of 572 kWh/yr, and ranks 377 of 639 certified clothes dryers for annual running cost, 1 being cheapest. Every one of the 639 currently-certified clothes dryers feeds that average, putting this model about $7/year over it. See how it's calculated on the how it is calculated page.
The closest alternatives by cost
Sorted by running cost among clothes dryers, one step cheaper is Vesta VDYMacao27WH ($114/yr, 608 kWh/yr), and one step pricier is Whirlpool WED5220LR ($114/yr, 608 kWh/yr).
Comparing Whirlpool's own models
Whirlpool makes 114 ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers; this one ranks 20 of 114 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the WHD3090G at $43/yr, and its priciest, the WGF5727T at $129/yr.
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 Whirlpool WED4720R that long and it costs about $1,372 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
The Whirlpool WED4720R is already efficient for its category at $114/year. If you're shopping and comparing options, this is roughly what a well-chosen new clothes dryer costs to run.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
Protecting what you have
A clothes dryer like the Whirlpool WED4720R 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.
The data behind this page
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 608 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 377 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the Whirlpool WED4720R 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.