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.

I paid £600 for my Samsung heat pump dryer last year and it’s great, the standard load says it takes 3 hours but it never does as the sensor stops it when it’s dry which is always much sooner.

ao.com/product/dv80ta020ae-samsung-series-5-optimaldry-heat-pump-tumble-dryer-white-76885-126.aspx?gbraid=0AAAAADmq13872bHo3RatkSCAbjgoipNTV&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMIjKHJ7afa-QIVytPtCh0DWwh2EAQYASABEgJZG_D_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!8149!3!546446800987!!!u!1436210258625!&&utm_medium=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=mda%20-%20tumble%20dryers%20-%20smart%7Ctumble%20dryers%20-%20smart&utm_term=smartshopping%7CDV80TA020AE_WH&utm_content=pla-1436210258625%7Cpaidpla&gbraid=0AAAAADmq13872bHo3RatkSCAbjgoipNTV&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjKHJ7afa-QIVytPtCh0DWwh2EAQYASABEgJZG_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We have this one.

Yes but they use heat pump technology to cool air, not warm it up. Do the byproduct isn’t warm air. It’s ambient temperature air.

My dehumidifier also blows out warm air. No idea why but it does. Not hot, but not room temperature either - noticeably warm. It means you can hang something directly in the blast in it will dry really quickly. And it warms up the kitchen.

I am really anxious about fire, so it was a consideration. I am careful about cleaning out the lint filter and went for one that has an alarm/refuses to start if it's not been done, so I wouldn't forget! However what I didn't realise is that's just for the one in the door, which is pretty obvious. There is a second bit to clean which is behind a little panel at the bottom (on mine) and it doesn't notify you about that so I just do it when I remember D:

The problem is if you keep it in an outhouse, the heat pump function won't work and you might as well just get a condenser.

They do say though that heat pump models work at a lower running temperature (about 50C) than condensers or vented which can get up to about 80 (though shouldn't go over 70-75). So possibly a lower fire risk? Although nothing should really be combusting ay 80C. So perhaps this was just marketing XD

Indesit is also Hotpoint/Whirlpool - I do wonder whether the whole "tumble dryers are a fire hazard" actually applies to all models or just the hotpoint brands, of which there are many?? US fire departments don't seem to have the same warnings about leaving white goods unattended.

Sorry - rushing - but briefly:

Yes they basically are just like condensers in practice but contain different technology. No plumbing needed.

Im expecting mine to stack, but ask.

Generally they seem to empty just like condensers The model I linked has its tank as part of the glass door so will actually be even easier for me as i would be liffing the heavy thing from lower down.

HTH 🙂

You don't need to plumb them in and mine empties using a drawer like the washing machine drawer, that opens into a huge tank. I can carry it to the sink and pour down.

You can also plumb it in if you want to but it wasn't convenient for us so I just empty the water manually. It needs emptying about once every 2 loads but I do it every time because sometimes it's slightly more than half full, and I don't want it to stop just before the end, it's annoying.

I have a Beko one and was really impressed for the price.

I might have missed this but where do vented dryers fit into all of this?
We have a gas dryer, vented, currently and it is showing it’s age and makes me worry about finding a replacement.

My Beko is the same way. The water condenses into a drawer tub thingy, and I let it cool and then use the water on my house plants.

Vented dryers are the least energy efficient of all dryers. Ones using gas are also higher risk of catching on fire and least environmentally friendly because you’re using a fossil fuel (gas) to power it.

It’s true that a good % of U.K. electricity is created by burning gas, but there is the choice to go with a green supplier of electricity so that all of your electricity comes from renewable green sources - wind, solar, hydro, tide.

Never had a tumble dryer - the easiest way to save money!

I have a fantastic AED A+ rated heat pump tumble drier and was told it costs the same to run as a regular fridge. I actually think that mine is less than the 50p per use that you've mentioned.

Same and we’ve never had a problem with damp either, so no need for a dehumidifier as has been mentioned above. We keep the closest window a crack open and that does the job.

Vented are cheap to buy but expensive to run.

Yes but they use heat pump technology to cool air, not warm it up. Do the byproduct isn’t warm air. It’s ambient temperature air.

Surely there are no net heat gains in either system. A heat pump simply moves heat from one place to another. Ignoring the energy used to run the pump, it can’t create heat.

I didn’t know the difference was that much but I can tell you that we have an electricity tariff which is cheap between 1 and 4am (octopus). So we put ours on on a timer overnight and it’s def a lot cheaper than it would be otherwise. It’s a condenser. Everything happens in our house overnight, washing machine, dryer and dishwasher all on, plus the car charges.

Same here with all of the above as I also have both Samsung washer and heat pump dryer.

I actually have the WiFi smart versions though, so can see the energy usage on the app.

I did 2 big loads yesterday (10kg machine), which dried in less than 4 hrs combined. The drier used 0.3kwh per hour, which was 5p per hour for me.

In total I used 1.1kwh for the two loads, costing 19p at my fixed rate of 16.9p/kwh.

I realise I'm fortunate to have locked in a more reasonable rate than the price cap. I have solar panels too, so don't feel guilty using the dryer when I don't dry outside.

Yes, I did know this, I bought a heat pump drier about 18 months ago.

Our old condenser drier cost about £160, it takes 80 minutes for a 9kg load which we do twice a week. It's White Knight and I'd be interested to know how much it costs per use. In a previous house it was sat on laminate flooring and heated the whole property. Now it's raised but it still heats the utility and kitchen. It's pretty old so I imagine it'll need replacing soonish, but heat pumps don't put any heat out into the room do they?

In your cost comparison are you making adequacy allowance for how much longer the cycle takes for a heat pump dryer to actually dry.

I'm only asking because I am interested in the theoretical difference. We only tumble dry once a week or even fortnight, so that they payback time would be a lot longer than your example When I use do it, I really value how quickly to gets the load dried so I would never be tempted by a cheaper model which took a lot longer.

Still interested in the actual sun to compare. #slowMonday

Does anyone keep their heat pump one in a cold ish garage? I was put off by it saying they shouldnt be below 10 degrees c, so ended up getting a condensor one last year as didnt want to kill a £600 dryer! I reckon mime goes dowm to 5° last year but might hit 0 in the snow

I have looked at tumble dryer pricing and looked at the heat pump ones but I don’t know anyone who has mistakenly bought one that actually thinks they save money.

The pricing costs I think are based on the thought that to dry a load of washing takes the same time as a normal tumble dryer but when you take into account they take 4 times as long it starts to look expensive.

I have a vented tumble dryer and it takes for a very full loads 40 minutes to dry a load.
20 minutes for a small load

I have a couple of friends who have gone back to their vented dryer as even after 4 hours the clothes weren’t dry and it gets to a case of laundry piling up that needs drying and having to be re washed because by the time the dryer has spent 3 days drying 3 loads the other loads have gone stinky

I have always run two tumble dryers as I have a big family. I had two 9kg hover condensers and one died. Decided to replace it with a candy heat pump. The reason a heat pump is cheaper to run is because it doesn't heat up. It takes bloody ages! I could do 3 8-9kg loads in the hoover in the time it took to do one SMALL 4-5kg load in the heat pump. A double bed sheet once took 9 hours to dry. Which really surprised me as it was literally next to the condenser and that was producing LOADS of heat which in theory should help the heat pump. But no. It was absolute shite. I gave it to my eldest daughter when she had a baby and bought another condenser. Never ever again.

I had a Samsung heat pump dryer, it took forever to dry even a small load. When it broke(only 3 years old) I replaced it with a candy condenser dryer. It takes a fraction of the time to dry a load now. It’s brilliant. I always wondered how much it actually cost me to dry a load considering it took about 4 1/2hrs for one load. Same load in candy dries in an hour,

I’ve had a Miele heat pump dryer for about two years and it’s amazing. I didn’t know it was cheaper to run. Mines on all day as I have 8 kids and I just constantly have washing to do.

I think if you spend a decent amount on a good brand the heat pump ones are great, I think ours was around £1500 but it’s worth every penny.

@Dalint yes putting a sheet over makes a massive difference. Before washer and dryer purchase, I used the Lakeland heated rack and a bed sheet, they sell specific covers for it too. www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/dry-soon-3-tier-heated-airer www.lakeland.co.uk/24671/dry-soon-3-tier-heated-airer-cover Has the problem of putting moisture in the air though. I had it pre kids and put it in box room with door open and made sure no gaps in the door to affect heating rest of house.

@Gilead mine is like a jug in the door with a handle you can pick up. I had one with a drawer in a rented HMO and I personally found it very difficult to empty as it’s heavy and slides out, so you’re holding the weight in an unbalanced way. This one is similar to the Hoover one I have ao.com/product/hleh9a2tce-hoover-hdry-300-heat-pump-tumble-dryer-white-86093-126.aspx . The annoying thing is the buttons, they’re not actual buttons, they’re this awful non responsive touch screen. We’ve got the knack for it now, but in the newborn days from tiredness my DH ended up cracking the screen trying to get it to turn on!

@BertieBotts has reminded me of a downside OP might want to consider, my heat pump dryer doesn’t work when it’s heat wave. It just sort of warms the clothes. The one I’ve linked above says require temperature is 10-32degrees C. I never had a problem during snow, even though it was in an outhouse, what was the toilet attached to house, but during heat waves no luck. Not so great if you have it because you have no room to dry outside for large items. We dried duvet cover over chairs and turned regularly. Small items on clothes horse outside, but hanging out in intense heat and sun was not great.