Dehumid. + heated airer better than tumble?

[MassiveSalad22]

Currently have one load on the line and one load drying in the conservatory with heated airer and dehumidifier. Just wondering if that is better financially and greener than using the tumble? I’m assuming so as it seems a lot less aggressive and energetic, but it is 2 appliances on for longer whereas tumble is one on for less than an hour. Also heated airer heats the room which is good, just a shame the only space for it is the conservatory!

I can’t find a good site to compare appliance useage, anyone know of one? Also we do have a smart meter but don’t know what DH has done with it. Thanks!

I wouldn't be running a dehumidifier today - all my windows are open! But maybe not where you are. The heated airer and dehumidifier use less power, but if you're going to use them for hours, you may well have a point.

I worked out that I could run my dehumidifier for ten hours to dry a week's washing, and it would work out the same as just one load of washing dried in the tumble drier. I only use the dehumidifier for a couple of hours overnight when washing is on (non-heated) airer.

You don’t need a site to work it out, you just need to know the wattage of each appliance and how much your electricity unit rate is. There is often a small sticker on the appliance that will say the wattage - for a heated airer this can be up to about 300W. Or Google the model name and you can find it out. Then you can work it out or post here. But there’s no great mystery about the cost. It’s very easy to do.

I used dehumidifier to dry washing granted a warming day run it for few hours a few pennies smart metre was still green
used dryer to finish towels of literally I. For 10 minutes 17p

It depends very much on the appliances. Mine is a heat-pump tumble drier and works out as less energy to dry a load than the heater airer (even without the dehumidifier).

Cost and environment aside a tumble ruins clothes and is only good for towels anyway, so I'd make my decision based on that alone.

You can't hide and loose a smart meter,it will be in your meter cupboard. I bought myself a heated airer last year,I have used a dehumidifier for many years each winter. We overwinter a lot of plants in our conservatory. It has a clothes drying setting,and helps warm the room. Both only used when absolutely necessary, otherwise it's outside on the rotary dryer.

I find I don't need a heated airer if I'm using a dehumidifier. I do use a basic electric fan (like the ones we use in summer) to keep the air moving. Minimal extra power and it makes more difference than you would think!

It’s very easy to do. For you. Not for me seemingly!

Ok you can’t lose a smart meter… then I’ve lost the small device Octopus gave us which tells us how much we’re spending at any given time.

Found it, behind the telly :)

If you post the information I mentioned in the post above I can tell you how to work it out. It’s a simple multiplication, but you need to know how much power your appliance uses first. This is either on the appliance itself or can be found out by Googling.

We have a heat pump dryer. It was more expensive to buy than a traditional dryer but cheaper and quicker per use than a dehumidifier.

Heat pump dryer need to be in a room ambient temp of at least 15 degrees to work ( some say 10 degrees but lower the temp more it will struggle)stick it in a garage or cold kitchen they won’t work

I was wondering whether I would be better off selling my tumble dryer and buying a heat pump one until I realised how long they took to dry a load. The ones I was looking at were more expensive but the drying cost was about half of what I'd be paying. Even that is more than I was paying last winter, so for me, tumble drying is going to be a luxury.

It isn't actually as simple as comparing electricity usage on your smart meter, as your gas consumption can be affected by how you dry your clothes, when your heating is on. See the top post on this page of this Money Saving Expert thread:

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6380284/electric-clothes-horse-vs-tumble-drier/p2

Also, bear in mind that heat pump dryers are more likely to break down in a way that is unrepairable than other tumble dryers.

We have just a dehumidifier (and clothes on the line in the garden when its sunny). It dries the clothes and keeps the house dry too. One of the best things Ive ever bought.

Can anyone link to the dehumidifiers they are using please? I bought one years ago to try and improve damp in our fitted wardrobes. It didn't seem to work and it's gathering dust somewhere. How do they help dry washing?

Not sure what you're doing, but I've always had a tumble dryer and I have never had my clothes ruined by it. If this is happening, you're not using it properly.

How do they help dry washing? they remove moisture from the air - the dryer the air around the clothes the sooner they'll dry.

You'll know if it's working as the water tray on the dehumidifier will be gradually filling with water.

I have, for the first time in years, gone back to a clothes horse and keeping a door open to ventilate the house.

It's a pain in the arse but I can't justify running the tumble drier anymore.