The average US household does 8 loads of laundry a week. That’s 416 loads a year.
Your washer and dryer are two of the most used appliances in your home. So it’s in your best interest to choose units that are efficient and cost-effective.
Read on to learn how to choose between a gas or electric dryer for your home.
Gas Versus Electric Dryers
The debate over whether you should buy gas versus electric dryers is not new. To answer the question accurately however, we need to look at various factors including the wear and tear on your garments, the cost of the units, and the cost of powering the dryer.
First, let’s start by comparing the way both types of dryers work.
Gas Dryer
You can choose either natural gas or liquid propane gas to fuel your clothes dryer. Either way, a gas-powered dryer must be vented to outside the home.
A propane or natural gas dryer has a gas burner that fires up to create heat to warm the air that dries your clothing.
Electric Dryer
An electric dryer has a heating element (similar to the heating element in a toaster) that warms pushed air to dry clothes.
Most of these dryers operate on a 240-volt current to fuel the heating coils. Most electric dryers need to be vented outside though there are some ventless dryers that tend to be more expensive.
Wear and Tear on Clothing
Another consideration to think about when choosing between a gas or electric dryer is how each impacts your garments.
You may be surprised to learn that one of these dryers is more likely to damage your clothes.
Electric Dryer
An electric dryer has to work hard to dry your clothes. For one thing, the heating elements can’t get as hot as gas. So it takes longer to dry a load of laundry.
Gas Dryer
Gas dryers maximize drying time. They often have a sensor that can detect when clothes are dry and automatically turn off even if the cycle had time left on the clock.
Not only does a faster drying time mean you get through your family’s laundry quicker, but it also means less wear and tear on your garments.
The less clothing is exposed to agitation, tumbling and heat, the better. So a gas dryer is more gentle of fabrics.
Which is Better for Energy Usage?
Now, let’s talk about whether a gas or electric dryer uses less energy. Keep in mind that the total cost of drying your clothing will depend on the energy rates in your area.
Electric Dryer
With an electric dryer, it usually takes twice as long to dry a load compared to a gas one.
Depending on where you live, chances are high that your electricity rates are also higher than your gas usage rates. This drives up the cost of using an electric dryer even more
Gas Dryer
Gas dryers are efficient and dry clothing at twice the speed than a conventional dryer.
When shopping for a new clothes dryer, be sure to check out the Energy Star rating to compare the efficiency for each model.
Cost of Unit And Installation
Finally, we need to compare the cost of purchasing and installing gas versus electric dryers.
Gas Dryer
Does your laundry room already have a gas line connection? Probably not. It’s not very common.
What about a gas line to your house in general? If you have a gas-powered stove or fireplace, then you have a gas line to your home already.
If you don’t have one, you will have to contact your utility company to install a line that connects to underground natural gas lines. This could be quite costly.
If you already have a gas hookup in your home somewhere but not in your laundry room, you will need to hire a reputable technician to run the line to your laundry room.
If you want to run your dryer on propane, you will need to convert a natural gas dryer. You can buy a conversion kit that makes it easy to do this.
Then, you can have a liquid propane tank stored on your property either above or below ground.
Even if gas line connections are already in place, you will need to pay for installation. This shouldn’t be more than a couple hundred bucks.
Electric Dryer
An electric dryer can just be plugged into a 240-volt outlet. It is simple to install straight out of the box. All you do is plug it in.
Your home will likely already have this heavy-duty outlet installed in your laundry room. If you want to move the location of your laundry, then you will need to pay an electrician to re-wire your outlet to accommodate the dryer.
Generally, though, there is no added cost when you buy an electric dryer.
Electric dryers are usually $50-$100 less than a gas version. That’s due to the extra cost for gas dryer components.
Yet, if you are looking at high-end models, electric and gas can be the same price.
Best for Cost
Overall, a basic electric washer has a lower costly initially. If you add extra features, the cost will go up and could equal the cost of a gas-powered dryer.
Choosing Between a Gas or Electric Dryer
We hope this article has given you the pros and cons of each option. Choosing between a gas or electric dryer is really about weighing the initial costs versus the long-term savings.
Before you go, read up on the many propane benefits to help you understand why this type of fuel is a great option for your home.