Cost to run a electric clothes dryer in Louisiana

Why the cost differs in Louisiana

Louisiana has the 2nd cheapest residential electricity of the 50 US states and Washington, DC we track, at 12.87¢ per kWh against a national average of 18.16¢. That is -29.1% compared with the national figure. Louisiana sits next to Gulf Coast natural gas production, which keeps generation costs low even after accounting for the recurring expense of hurricane restoration and grid hardening. Retail service is regulated. The cooling season is long and humid, so air conditioning dominates annual consumption and duty cycles stay high through the night in midsummer.

For this appliance specifically, the difference works out to a saving of $49.24 a year against what the same electric clothes dryer would cost at the national average rate. Run the identical appliance in Hawaii and it would cost $439 a year; in Nevada it would cost $118. That spread of $321 is entirely down to location.

Reducing use by 100 kWh would save $12.87 in energy charges at Louisiana's average rate, compared with $18.16 at the US average. Whether a replacement appliance pays for itself also depends on its purchase price and the energy it actually saves.

Use the energy and delivery price that applies to your own utility plan in Louisiana. If your plan has time-of-use prices, calculate each period separately or use a rate weighted by the electricity used in each period. Fixed monthly fees are outside this appliance energy-cost estimate.

Louisiana electricity rate trend

Rates in Louisiana have moved from 12.33¢ to 12.87¢ per kWh between September 2025 and August 2026. The national residential average changed +3.4% from the same month a year earlier.

About running a electric clothes dryer

One of the most expensive loads in the home. Heat pump dryers use roughly half the energy of resistance models. Cleaning the lint filter and venting matters - restricted airflow extends cycle time and directly raises cost.

How we worked this out

The arithmetic is simple and we would rather show it than hide it. Divide watts by 1,000 to get kilowatts, multiply by hours of use and by the duty cycle to get kilowatt-hours, then multiply by your rate:

3000W ÷ 1000 × 1h × 85% = 2.550 kWh/day × 12.87¢ = $0.328 per day

One honest caveat: Louisiana’s figure is a state average published by the EIA. Your own utility’s tariff, any time-of-use pricing, fixed monthly service charges and local taxes all shift the real number. Put your actual per-kWh rate into the calculator above for a figure that reflects your bill.

How to estimate your electric clothes dryer electricity use

Dryer energy is often easiest to compare per load. The heating element can cycle during a load, and wetness, load size, cycle choice and dryer technology change the result.

This is an electricity estimate for an electric dryer. For a gas dryer, gas consumption is a separate cost. Water removal before drying and the chosen dryness setting affect each load.

• For a measured load, cost per load equals kWh used by that cycle times your electricity price. An illustrative 3 kWh load at $0.20/kWh costs $0.60.
• Multiply cost per load by the number of loads to estimate a week or year. If using hours/day, convert your weekly dryer hours to a daily average by dividing by seven.
• Use a representative average cycle wattage at 100% duty, or active element watts with a suitable duty factor. A maximum nameplate rating is not a measured cycle average.
• A heat-pump dryer and an electric resistance dryer can have different energy and cycle lengths. Compare kWh for comparable loads rather than watts alone.

Calculation and data sources

Daily kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × duty cycle ÷ 100. Multiply kWh by your rate in dollars per kWh to get cost. The wattage, hours and duty cycle above are editable example assumptions, not EIA measurements of this appliance.

The US and state average prices come from the EIA for August 2026. A state average is a starting point; your bill is the better source for your tariff.

• EIA: US average electricity prices by sector
• EIA: residential electricity prices by state
• Our assumptions and calculation method