What the Whirlpool WGD8620H** costs to run
The Whirlpool WGD8620H** 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.
That $129 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 20.1% above it, ranking 635 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 $22/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 WGD8620H**: Whirlpool WGD8127L** ($129/yr, 687 kWh/yr), then Whirlpool WGD9500EC* ($129/yr, 687 kWh/yr).
Within the Whirlpool lineup
Ranked 110 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 WGD8620H** 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 WGD8620H** that long and it costs about $1,550 in electricity, on top of whatever it cost to buy.
Weighing a replacement
At $129/year, this is on the expensive side for a clothes dryer; the cheapest certified model in this category runs about $23/year, worth knowing before buying either the Whirlpool WGD8620H** or its replacement.
Worth comparing a few current certified models before deciding.
If you're keeping it
A clothes dryer like the Whirlpool WGD8620H** 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
Two sourced numbers, nothing modeled: ENERGY STAR's certified kWh/yr for this exact model, and EIA's published state electricity rate. Ranked 635 of 639 certified dryers for running cost, the Whirlpool WGD8620H** 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.