To not have known this about tumble dryers? (Fuel bill related)

[HinchcliffeandMurgatroyd]

Not terribly exciting subject , sorry. I’m quite excited about possibly saving £££s though.

I’ve just worked out that my (fairly new) condenser tumble dryer costs about £1.25 a cycle to run, despite the fact I’m on a less-bad fixed rate.

A good heat pump dryer would apparently cost ~50p per cycle.

So £500 now for a better machine would pay for itself in 10-24 months. Tempted.

I knew there was a difference but thought it was a small difference. It took me 15 minutes tracking down the performance data and doing the maths to come up with those numbers.

I use mine a lot due to dogs, dodgy spine etc. So that’s potentially a massive saving.

Did everyone else know the difference between condenser and heat pump dryers was so dramatic?

YANBU = I had no idea.
YABU = Doh, it’s common knowledge.

We remodelled the utility and bought the new dryer just in May so went for heat pump specifically for this reason - as recommended by the store assistant

Also, don't forget that if your condenser dryer is getting on a bit, it will probably be even less efficient. And they never get things quite as dry.

But you'll need a vent for a vented dryer (obviously!) and there might be a cost in having someone knock you a hole. Unless you just stick it out the window, but then the window is open, and you're losing heat that way.

If you need a new one anyway, then I'd definitely switch. But if your current one is fine I'd just stick with it personally. With all the recent dryer recalls, I wouldn't buy one second hand.

I have a heat pump tumble dryer and it's brilliant! For average load i'll put on the mixed cycle, takes about 2.5hrs, it has sensors in the machine to detect moisture so if it's dry sooner than the cycle plan it auto stops.
It also has a 5kg in an hour setting which is great for smaller loads.
Towel/bedding setting i think is 3.5hrs.
Cotton setting again i think 3.5 hours but as above if it senses things are dry it'll stop
It also has a steam setting so you can put a bit of water in the water pot in the drum, the steam then refreshes clothes that are maybe just fusty but don't actually need a wash, that takes i think 10 minutes.
As PP i only found out the cost to run savings when my old vented one died, i don't feel guilty using it now.

I knew that OP however I don’t think you are unreasonable in not knowing or posting the information as it’s not common knowledge and people looking to replace soon it’s useful advice especially with costs as they are today

I knew this but that's because I used to sell them at a large electrical store!

What's funny is even though I would explain these types of costing to people looking at dryers we used to sell fewer of them than regular condenser dryers. No idea why 🤷‍♀️

I don’t think a dehumidifier makes a house easier to heat. It just reduces condensation when everything isn’t the same heat. (Like windows and walls because one side of them is outside)

I recently replaced my old dryer with one and find it brilliant. The old one didn't have a sensor so you had to guess how long to put it on for and so would often end up drying things for way longer than necessary. I rarely used it.

I use the new one more frequently but mainly towels and sheets. It has settings for synthetics, sports and wool protect but I don't put anything that doesn't have the ok to tumble dry symbol on it. The old one would have ruined anything that wasn't 100% tumble dryable but I'm wondering do you all put stuff in that isn't specifically marked for the dryer and if so, how do you decide what goes in?

I have a Beko with a UV thingy that I've never used. I think the idea is you can use the UV to kill off bacteria or something.

I have a washer/dryer (combined), which kind is that?

I knew, but only because we had to replace our dryer recently.

We switched from a standard (vented) tumble drier to a heat pump, and I regret it. The heat pump drier costs less per hour to run, but takes 2-3 times longer to dry clothes. So instead of taking 50 minutes to dry bedding, it takes 2.5 hours. Consequently I'm not convinced it's actually energy saving. We mostly line dry washing anyway, but in the winter when it's cold and rainy then a tumble drier can be useful.

I could pass my current one to a family member, with a warning about how much a cycle is likely to cost.

They won’t use it anything like as much as I have to use mine (I really can’t bend or even stand for long) but can have it there for tight spots and emergencies.

Mine won’t only be cheaper, but more eco, so it’s sounding like an all round win.

It would lovely to feel less guilty about using the dryer.

What’s a heat pump drier?

I did not know but found out when I recently had to replace my tumble dryer. I bought a heat pump dryer which cost I think £370.00. I’m very pleased with it.

Maybe up to now, the extra cost hasn't been worth it. It certainly wasn't for us when we needed a new dryer, but we line dry around 8 months of the year, and time washing to coincide with dry days or use an airer, so only use the dryer in winter.

We need to look at our (very old, estimated nearly 25 YO) fridge freezer again. It's obviously not as efficient as a new one, but last time I worked it out, the payback time was over 5 years. It's probably a lot less now that prices have gone up so much, but part of me is curious as to exactly how long it will last, left to it's own devices.

I read a tweet saying that there should be a website called Things That Are No Longer True. You input the date you graduated university or school, and get a summary of all the advice that has changed. Ditto, having a baby etc.

I wish I could be bothered to make it!

I did a lot of research for an environment policy ten years ago, so I knew about the drawdown of modern devices, but I also know that because I studied this ten years ago ago that more of my knowledge is out of date.

Bugger this. I'm going to live in a cave.

Yes this actually something where the monthly payments on 0% appliance finance could be cheaper than the electricity savings now (for a heavy user on an expensive tariff). So I hope the knowledge helps someone with a large family or disabilities or similar.

I have been looking at these for a few weeks as our ancient condenser dryer is on its last legs. I don't have anywhere to hang washing outside and even in the summer, drying clothes on the clothes horses takes ages and they don't feel as soft or smell as fresh (and my house is clean, I promise!).

I only do 2 loads of washing a week, on average, because I feel guilty for running the tumble any more than that.

Yes the fuel price rises will have massively brought down the time it takes for a heat pump model to pay for itself, and everyone is nervous about bills now.

I have a very good hear pump dryer. Never owned a dryer before and so did my research. Probably spent a bit more than I'd have liked but it was a which best buy and with the increase in bills decided it would be best to spend a little bit more. It certainly does not take 8 hours to dry washing. 1.5 hours on a low heat setting. I love it but haven't had to use it much yet as the weather has been so good.

I had no idea about this. I’m hardly using the tumble dryer now due to cost.

“Bugger this. I'm going to live in a cave.”

lol.
my neighbour still treats us to knowledge he gained 20 years ago about electric cars :)

How do you know if your dryer is a heat pump? Mine is a washer dryer and does take about 4 hours to dry a small load. But I haven’t used it in over a year due to thinking it costs a fortune to run it!

I regret the condensor dryer, it is utterly shit, our old vented White Knight was much better and it still sort of worked when we got rid of it after about 20 years, you just had to advance the timer past a dead spot and the hose had rotted away to dust.

In the new one, the sensor doesn't work so when you realise it's been tumbling away for hours on end and check, everything is a bone dry shrunken creased mess.

But appliances in our house last for decades not years, so I can't even hope that it will break soon as it's only 5 years old and, as already mentioned, it's only used sparingly in winter.

My washer dryer takes half an hour. It tells you 4 hours but I reduce the time down. Although I rarely use it as I hate the damage tumble driers do to the environment. I last used it a year ago.

I didn't realise it would save as much as that. We bought a heat pump one but only because our last one happened to pack up. But we only use if for towels, nothing else so it's only used a couple of times a week.