Clothes dryer cost per load in Australia

Choose a usable energy figure

Check the energy label and product documentation for the exact model, units and test program. A suitable complete-cycle kWh measurement gives another input for that load and those conditions. A star rating alone cannot tell this calculator the kWh per cycle.

If documentation gives kWh per cycle, enter that figure directly. The Australian Government describes its dryer label assumption as one full load per week. For a label explicitly using that basis, 52 loads make up the label year: divide its annual kWh by 52 for a label-test equivalent per load. Check the assumption printed on your exact label; do not apply 52 to a foreign label or another test basis.

The two-dryer comparison asks for the stated cycles per year when you choose annual-label energy. It converts that figure to a per-load equivalent and then applies your own schedule. The single-dryer annual-energy mode above instead prices the annual kWh directly, without rescaling it. Label-test equivalents are estimates, not measurements of your own loads.

Compare similar capacities and the same programme/test basis. Different full-load capacities are different drying tasks; dividing by kilograms does not automatically make them equivalent. Do not scale an annual figure that includes unrelated standby energy as though it all came from drying cycles. Use documented cycle energy or suitable completed-load measurements if the basis is unclear.

Calculate per-load and annual costs

Cost per load in AUD = kWh per completed cycle x rate in c/kWh / 100. Multiply by loads per active week and active weeks per year for an annual estimate. Enter fewer active weeks if you mainly use the dryer in one season.

Use the usage rate including GST from your bill. Daily supply charges are excluded from each load. An annual projection holds your energy per load, schedule and rate constant; it is not a forecast of future tariffs.

Compare heat-pump, condenser and vented dryers fairly

Compare energy needed to complete comparable loads to the same target dryness. Keep the tariff and number of loads the same, and check the program, load mass, starting moisture and conditions behind each energy figure.

A longer program can draw less power while running, so elapsed time alone cannot establish which dryer uses fewer kWh. Maximum rated watts multiplied by the entire program can also misrepresent energy use. This calculator assigns no fixed consumption or saving to a dryer design.

The comparison above keeps both models on the same tariff and load schedule. The labels Dryer A and Dryer B do not assign an efficiency advantage: either can represent a heat-pump, conventional condenser or vented dryer. Use the specifications of the models you are considering.

To examine an extra purchase cost, divide it by a positive annual electricity saving. This is simple payback. If the more expensive model costs the same or more to run, there is no payback from electricity savings under those inputs. An equal purchase price leaves no extra upfront cost to recover.

A worked purchase-price and payback example

Suppose Dryer A costs A$600 and uses 3 kWh per comparable load; Dryer B costs A$1,000 and uses 1 kWh. At an illustrative 30c/kWh, four loads per active week and 50 active weeks give 200 loads per year. A costs A$180 a year in electricity and B costs A$60.

B costs A$400 more upfront and saves A$120 per year, giving simple payback of about 3.33 years, or 667 completed loads. Over five years, purchase plus electricity totals A$1,500 for A and A$1,300 for B. These figures illustrate the calculation; they are not product prices, measured performance or a promise that either dryer lasts five years.

Choose a comparison period, not an assumed lifespan

Purchase plus electricity over your chosen years is not a complete ownership-cost forecast. Repairs, maintenance, financing, replacement, resale value, future tariffs and changes in use are excluded. A payback beyond the entered period is shown as such; it does not establish that a dryer will survive to that date.

If comparing keeping a working dryer with buying another, the old purchase price has already been paid. Enter only new upfront costs for each option from today, normally zero for keeping it, and use a realistic comparison period. The calculation cannot predict the existing dryer’s remaining life or decide whether early replacement is worthwhile.

The comparison applies one usage rate to all electricity. It does not model solar self-consumption, export income, demand charges or tariff changes. Supply charges are excluded. If the options use different tariff periods, establish comparable effective energy costs separately before drawing a purchasing conclusion.