Whirlpool WGD5220LR Running Cost (Clothes Dryer)
Whirlpool WGD5220LR: running cost
The Whirlpool WGD5220LR is certified by ENERGY STAR at 687 kWh a year, more expensive than most models in its category to run among clothes dryers currently certified.
The $129 figure above uses the simple average of all 51 published state rates. Pick your state for the real number.
Whirlpool WGD5220LR against the category
That's 20.1% above the clothes dryer category average of 572 kWh/yr, and ranks 623 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 WGD5220R ($129/yr, 687 kWh/yr) costs a little more to run than the Whirlpool WGD5220LR. Whirlpool WGD4720R ($129/yr, 687 kWh/yr) costs a little less.
Within the Whirlpool lineup
Whirlpool makes 114 ENERGY STAR certified clothes dryers; this one ranks 98 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
Over the 12-year service life NAHB reports for this category, running the Whirlpool WGD5220LR costs roughly $1,550 in electricity, separate from the purchase price.
Is it worth replacing?
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
The Whirlpool WGD5220LR already costs $129/year to run; a repair bill on top of that is the kind of expense a protection plan exists to smooth out.
Sourcing
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. Ranked 623 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the Whirlpool WGD5220LR 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.