Dryer vs Air-Dry Savings Calculator
If you air-dry some or all of your laundry instead of using the clothes dryer, how much electricity and money could you save?
For electric dryers only. This estimates direct electricity savings, not gas-dryer fuel savings. The prefilled values are examples.
Your estimated savings
You could save about
per yearby air-drying loads per week.
- Electricity saved/month (kWh)
- Electricity saved/year (kWh)
- Money saved/month
- Reduction in dryer electricity use
There is no current dryer electricity use under these inputs, so a percentage reduction is not applicable.
Current Machine-Drying Cost
- Machine-dried loads/week
- Electricity/week (kWh)
- Electricity/year (kWh)
- Estimated cost/month
- Estimated cost/year
After Air-Drying
- Machine-dried loads/week remaining
- Air-dried loads/week
- Electricity/week remaining (kWh)
- Electricity/year remaining (kWh)
- Estimated cost/month
- Estimated cost/year
What if you air-dry more?
Compare these shares of your current weekly loads. Fractional loads describe a weekly average; they are not rounded up to whole loads.
| Air-dry share | Machine-dried loads/week | Air-dried loads/week | Annual kWh saved | Annual money saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25% | ||||
| 50% | ||||
| 75% | ||||
| 100% |
Monthly estimates are annual totals divided by 12, using 52 weeks per year. Values are rounded for readability.
How it works
Machine drying uses electricity every time a load is run. Air-drying some loads can reduce that energy use. We multiply your dryer energy per load by the number of loads you replace, then use your electricity rate to estimate direct savings.
Annual electricity savings = kWh per load × air-dried loads per week × 52. Annual money savings = annual kWh saved × your electricity rate. Monthly averages are annual values divided by 12. Quick scenarios use 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of your current weekly loads.
Understanding the estimate
Actual dryer energy per load varies with dryer type, load size, cycle, moisture level and drying time. Use a safe, suitable monitor measurement if available, or the energy information for your dryer. An estimate is useful for planning, but it is not a guaranteed saving.
This clothesline savings calculator assumes every selected air-dried load fully replaces a machine-dried load. It does not include a finishing cycle, fan or dehumidifier electricity, changes in heating or cooling, maintenance, or gas fuel. Choose an air-drying routine that is practical for your space and laundry.
Air-drying may also reduce clothing wear, but no dollar value is assigned to that. Electricity savings affect usage charges; fixed utility charges do not disappear. The entered weekly average repeats for 52 weeks. Fractional loads are allowed; electricity reduction follows the share of loads replaced when current dryer energy use is above zero.