Gas Dryer Vs. Electric Dryer Efficiency

It's hard to imagine the days when people had no other choice but to hang their clothes on a line outside in the sun. Thanks to modern technology, electric and gas dryers save both effort and time. All dryers have an electric motor that tumbles the clothes and a fan that distributes heat. The main difference between electric and gas dryers is whether the heat is produced through gas or electricity. Each is efficient in different ways.

Cost

When you shop around for dryers, a gas dryer normally costs around $50 to $100 more than its electric counterpart. But in the long run, the operating cost of an electric dryer is more than for a gas dryer due to power consumption.

Power

Having an electric dryer requires at least a 240 volt current. This alone shows that the energy consumption of an electric dryer is high, considering that it depends mainly on electricity to function efficiently. The power consumption of a gas dryer can go as low as 300 to 400 watts per hour while that of an electric dryer can go as high as 4,000 watts per hour.

Heating Capacity and Efficiency

Although an electric dryer requires higher power consumption, gas dryers have more heating capacity. As a result, gas dryers are considered more energy-efficient and also dry clothes in less time.

Installation

In choosing what type of dryer to purchase, consider that a gas dryer needs a laundry area with a gas hookup. If you don't have this, you should choose an electric dryer because installing gas lines is extremely expensive in most cases, which can make gas dryers less cost-efficient than it is for those who already have gas lines.

Maintenance

Because gas dryers are less common than electric dryers, repair can be more expensive. Often, specialists are required to repair gas dryers and parts aren't as available. This leads to higher costs for repair -- making electric dryers more cost-efficient to repair.

References

• Consumer Energy Center: Clothes dryers
• Blue Flame Gas: Gas dryers