Whirlpool WED72HED*+: running cost
The Whirlpool WED72HED*+ is certified by ENERGY STAR at 608 kWh a year, about average for its category to run among clothes dryers currently certified.
That $114 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 6.3% above it, ranking 388 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 $7/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 WED72HED*+: Whirlpool WED7120H** ($114/yr, 608 kWh/yr), then Whirlpool WED7505FW* ($114/yr, 608 kWh/yr).
Within the Whirlpool lineup
Ranked 31 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 WED72HED*+ over 12 years
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical clothes dryer's service life at 12 years; run the Whirlpool WED72HED*+ that long and it costs about $1,372 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Is it worth replacing?
Efficient as certified clothes dryers go, $114/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
A clothes dryer like the Whirlpool WED72HED*+ 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 608 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 388 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the Whirlpool WED72HED*+ 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.