Clothes Dryers

THE PRODUCT:

Clothes dryers include both standard- and compact-sized electric and gas dryers. Most clothes dryers are vented, where the exhaust air is vented outside, whereas ventless dryers are common in space-constrained applications (e.g., apartments). Manufacturers have also recently introduced ventless heat pump clothes dryers to the US market, which can reduce energy use by up to 50% or more compared to a conventional electric resistance dryer.

THE STANDARD:

The current standards for clothes dryers took effect in 2015. The standards were based on a consensus agreement between manufacturers and efficiency advocates and specify a minimum combined energy factor (CEF) for each type of dryer. The minimum CEF levels for standard-size electric and gas dryers are 3.73 and 3.30, respectively. The current standards represent energy savings of about 5% relative to the previous standards, which took effect in 1994.

In 2024, DOE finalized amended standards for clothes dryers based on a joint recommendation from manufacturers and efficiency advocates. For both standard-sized electric and gas dryers, the standards are equivalent to the current ENERGY STAR levels and represent energy savings of about 40% relative to the least-efficient products on the market.     

*CEF is expressed in terms of pounds of clothes dried per kWh of energy consumed.

KEY FACTS:

Clothes dryers often represent the third largest energy user in a home behind only heating/cooling equipment and water heaters. About 80% of US households have a clothes dryer, and of those, about 80% utilize an electric clothes dryer.