What an electric clothes dryer costs to run in Colorado
Colorado homes use 662 kWh a year on an electric clothes dryer. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $48.99 to $108.12 a year across 5 published Colorado plans — a $59.13 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)✓ cheapestdemand charge | $48.99 | — | 8.2¢ |
| Residential Demand Service (Schedule RD)demand charge | $64.07 | +$15.08 | 12.0¢ |
| Residential Energy Time Of Use (Schedule RE-TOU)time-of-use | $101.57 | +$52.58 | 16.6¢ |
| Residential Service (Schedule R)time-of-use | $106.76 | +$57.77 | 17.3¢ |
| Residential General Service Opt-Out (Schedule R-OO)time-of-use | $108.12 | +$59.13 | 17.6¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $23.38 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $51.76, a $28.38 spread
- Average — cheapest $48.99 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $108.12, a $59.13 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $63.85 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $140.72, a $76.87 spread
What an electric clothes dryer costs here
Across 5 plans priced in Colorado, an electric clothes dryer adds $48.99 to $108.12 a year — $4.08 to $9.01 a month. The median plan puts an electric clothes dryer at $101.57 a year.
Cheapest for an electric clothes dryer: Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR), Public Service Co of Colorado. Dearest: Residential General Service Opt-Out (Schedule R-OO), Public Service Co of Colorado.
Those 662 kWh are billed at 7.4¢–16.3¢, against a 16.6¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What Colorado homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 662 kWh a year across 296 sampled homes that run one, near the national 680 kWh. The middle half spans 316 kWh to 861 kWh, so an electric clothes dryer varies by 545 kWh between one household and another.
The heating element and drum motor across a year of loads. That average covers homes with an electric clothes dryer — 79% of homes here, against 67% nationally.
That makes an electric clothes dryer about 8% of the electricity a Colorado home uses. The remaining 7,483 kWh is what an electric clothes dryer is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of an electric clothes dryer
A household in the lighter quarter runs an electric clothes dryer for 316 kWh a year and pays $23.38 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 861 kWh and pays $63.85 — $40.47 more for an electric clothes dryer on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Colorado, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 5 Colorado tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 39.7392, -104.9903.