Gas vs Electric Dryers in Arizona, the Real Cost per Load

A gas dryer always costs less to run. That is the rule every buying guide repeats, and in Arizona it breaks at the right hour. On the APS time of use plan, power from 10am to 3pm on winter weekdays costs 3.495 cents a kWh. At that price an electric load costs about 8 cents, less than a gas load in any month of the past year. Run the same electric dryer from 4 to 7pm in summer and the load costs about 74 cents. The clock moves your bill more than the fuel does.

We list Arizona appliance repair companies and keep a repair cost guide for every common dryer fault. So we priced one load both ways with Arizona rates, then added the repair side, because the cheaper dryer to run is not always the cheaper dryer to own.

• Gas wins at average prices. About 14 to 21 cents a load, against about 33 cents for electric.
• Timing beats fuel. On a time of use plan, an electric load swings from 8 cents to 74 cents.
• A new gas line rarely pays off. Saving $36 to $58 a year takes 7 to 28 years to cover the line.
• Repairs cost about the same. A gas valve or igniter job and an electric element job land in the same range.
• Heat pump dryers use the least energy. No vent needed, about 10 cents a load at average prices.

What One Load Costs at Arizona Prices

Every dryer sold with an Energy Star label has to dry a test load at a set efficiency. Energy Star uses an 8.45 pound load for a standard dryer. It sets the minimum at 3.93 pounds per kWh for a standard electric dryer and 3.48 for a vented gas dryer.

That turns into real energy per load. An electric dryer at that minimum uses about 2.15 kWh. A gas dryer uses about 2.43 kWh worth of energy, which EIA conversion factors put at about 8,300 Btu, or 8 cubic feet of natural gas. This math prices all of it as gas, which flatters gas a little, since the drum motor runs on power.

Now the Arizona prices. Homes in the state paid 15.38 cents a kWh in July 2026, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. average was 18.31 cents. Gas moves more with the seasons. Arizona homes paid $26.31 per thousand cubic feet in July 2026 and $17.24 in January 2026, per EIA gas price data.

Every number in the chart is a worked example from those published figures. Your load will weigh more than 8.45 pounds, and your dryer may beat the minimum. Scale the cents up for a big family load. The ranking does not change.

At average prices gas wins by 12 to 19 cents a load. That is real money, but it is small. Six loads a week is about 300 a year. Electric runs about $99 a year at the average price. Gas runs about $41 to $63, depending on the month. The gap is $36 to $58 a year.

The Clock Matters More Than the Fuel

APS publishes its Time of Use 4pm to 7pm Weekdays rates in plain charts. In summer, May through October, power costs 12.345 cents a kWh off peak and 34.396 cents from 4 to 7pm on weekdays. In winter, November through April, off peak is 12.351 cents, the peak is 32.543 cents, and a super off peak window from 10am to 3pm on weekdays drops to 3.495 cents.

Put the same 2.15 kWh load through those prices.

So an electric dryer run after dinner on a summer weekday costs more than three times what a gas load costs. The same dryer run on a winter weekday morning costs less than gas.

Check your own bill before you shop. If you are on a time of use plan, an electric dryer is cheap as long as you never start it in the peak window. If your dryer has a delay start, set it to miss the peak. If you are on a flat rate plan, the Arizona average is the better guide.

Is a New Gas Line Worth It for a Dryer?

Whirlpool puts the line at five years. Its advice is to choose gas if you already have a gas hookup or plan to stay at least five years, and electric if you have no gas line and expect to move sooner.

The install cost decides it. Mister Sparky puts a new gas line at $400 to $1,000, plus $125 to $250 to hook up the dryer. At $36 to $58 saved a year, the line alone takes about 7 to 28 years to pay back.

Our lifetime guide gives a dryer 12 to 18 years. So a new gas line can outlast the dryer before it pays for itself. That math gets worse on a time of use plan, where off peak electric power closes most of the gap.

The dryer itself costs a bit more in gas. Whirlpool listed the same 7.4 cubic foot smart front load dryer with steam at $1,254 for electric and $1,366 for gas on its store page. That is a $112 gap on a matched pair.

• Gas line already capped behind the dryer? Buy gas. You skip the install, and it costs less to run at average prices.
• Only a 240 volt outlet? Buy electric and run it off peak. Do not add a gas line just for the dryer.
• Neither, or a laundry closet with no vent? Look at a heat pump dryer.

Gas vs Electric Repairs and Lifespan

Running cost is one side. Repairs are the other, and they come out close.

The prices come from our own Arizona guides for a dryer not heating, a gas dryer igniter and an electric heating element. The low end is a DIY job. The high end is a pro.

One cause hits both kinds. A lint packed vent makes the dryer run hot, blows the thermal fuse and burns out elements early. Our post on how often to clean a dryer vent in Arizona covers the schedule.

The dryer lifetime guide puts total repair spend at $250 to $600 over a dryer's life, and gas and electric models last about as long.

Heat Pump Dryers Use the Least Energy

Energy Star says heat pump dryers use around 70% less energy than a conventional dryer. They heat the air, pull the water out through a condenser, and reuse most of that heat. The water drains away or goes into a tank you empty. There is no need for a dryer vent.

Take 70% off the 2.15 kWh electric load and a heat pump uses about 0.65 kWh. That is about 10 cents a load at the Arizona average, about 8 cents off peak on APS, and about 22 cents in the summer peak. It beats gas at almost any hour.

The no vent part matters most in an apartment or a laundry closet on an inside wall, where a vent run is hard or impossible. Read the drain and tank setup on any model before you buy.

How to Tell Which Dryer You Can Use

Whirlpool says a gas dryer has a gas inlet, usually on the back, and plugs into a standard 120 volt outlet. An electric dryer needs a 240 volt outlet, which is larger and has three or four holes. Pull the dryer out and look.

Mister Sparky says homes built after 1996 should have the four prong 240 volt outlet. An older home may still have three prongs, and a new dryer cord has to match the outlet.

Do not plan on converting one to the other. Whirlpool says a conversion is not practical, could damage the dryer, and voids the warranty.

If you choose gas, safety matters. Whirlpool says to use rigid or semi rigid metal vent pipe and never plastic or foil. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says to put carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. It says more than 200 people in the United States die from carbon monoxide each year.

If Your Dryer Stops Heating

We list Arizona washer and dryer repair companies by city, with ratings and phone numbers, if your dryer stops heating.

Studies and Pages

• U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, July 2026
• U.S. Energy Information Administration, Arizona price of natural gas delivered to residential consumers
• U.S. Energy Information Administration, British thermal units
• Energy Star, clothes dryers key product criteria
• Energy Star, clothes dryers
• APS, Time of Use 4pm to 7pm Weekdays
• Whirlpool, gas vs. electric dryers
• Mister Sparky, gas vs. electric dryers by the numbers (December 2025)
• CPSC, Carbon Monoxide Information Center