Whirlpool WGD4720R Running Cost (Clothes Dryer)
Whirlpool WGD4720R: running cost
ENERGY STAR certifies the Whirlpool WGD4720R at 687 kWh/yr, more expensive than most models in its category to run for its category.
The $129 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Whirlpool WGD4720R against the category
That's 20.1% above the clothes dryer category average of 572 kWh/yr, and ranks 622 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 $22/year above that average at the national rate. See the methodology page.
What sits beside it in the ranking
Whirlpool WGD5220LR ($129/yr, 687 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the Whirlpool WGD4720R. Speed Queen ADGE9118T ($129/yr, 687 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Same brand, different models
Whirlpool makes 114 ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers; this one ranks 97 of 114 for running cost, between the brand's cheapest, the WHD3090G at $43/yr, and its priciest, the WGF5727T at $129/yr.
Cost over its typical lifespan
NAHB's Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components puts a typical clothes dryer's service life at 12 years; run the Whirlpool WGD4720R that long and it costs about $1,550 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
Running above the category average, $129/year is exactly the kind of number that makes a newer, more efficient model pay for itself faster.
See what else is certified in this category before you decide.
Protecting what you have
At $129/year just to run, a clothes dryer is worth protecting against an unplanned repair bill on top of that.
Sourcing
Nothing here is estimated from a nameplate wattage; the 687 kWh/yr is ENERGY STAR's own certified figure for this model. Ranked 622 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the Whirlpool WGD4720R 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.