What an electric clothes dryer costs to run in Michigan
Michigan homes use 654 kWh a year on an electric clothes dryer. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $92.04 to $160.96 a year across 7 published Michigan plans — a $68.92 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)✓ cheapestflat rate | $92.04 | — | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Smart Hours Rate (RSH)flat rate | $92.04 | — | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Nighttime Savers Rate (RPM)flat rate | $92.04 | — | 15.3¢ |
| Residential Nighttime Savers Rate (RPM)time-of-use | $150.01 | +$57.97 | 24.2¢ |
| Residential Smart Hours Rate (RSH)time-of-use | $151.72 | +$59.68 | 24.5¢ |
| Residential Summer On-Peak Basic Service (RSP)time-of-use | $151.89 | +$59.85 | 24.5¢ |
| Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)time-of-use · tiered | $160.96 | +$68.92 | 24.3¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $43.92 (Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)), dearest $76.72, a $32.80 spread
- Average — cheapest $92.04 (Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)), dearest $160.96, a $68.92 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $111.60 (Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM)), dearest $194.96, a $83.36 spread
What an electric clothes dryer costs here
Across 7 plans priced in Michigan, an electric clothes dryer adds $92.04 to $160.96 a year — $7.67 to $13.41 a month. The median plan puts an electric clothes dryer at $150.01 a year.
Cheapest for an electric clothes dryer: Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM), Consumers Energy Co. Dearest: Residential Service Secondary Non-Transmitting Meter Rate (RSM), Consumers Energy Co.
Those 654 kWh are billed at 14.1¢–24.6¢, against a 24.2¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 0.4¢ per kWh.
What Michigan homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 654 kWh a year across 170 sampled homes that run one, near the national 680 kWh. The middle half spans 312 kWh to 792 kWh, so an electric clothes dryer varies by 480 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 — 43% of homes here, against 67% nationally.
That makes an electric clothes dryer about 8% of the electricity a Michigan home uses. The remaining 7,717 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 312 kWh a year and pays $43.92 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 792 kWh and pays $111.60 — $67.68 more for an electric clothes dryer on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Michigan, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 7 Michigan 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 42.9634, -85.6681.