£6 for a load in the tumble dryer?

[whereisthejasmine]

someone on the news just said that it will be £6 per load to use the tumble dryer? is that right? I am searching online and the rates I see are more like 37p per hour a year ago - if that doubles its still less than a £1/hour.
Be grateful to confirm the realistic cost for 2022 as if it is £6/hour I will have to abandon it.

Never used a tumble dryer with a family. Although I did have access to one when I was in a house share (but found it took an absolute age to dry a full load of washing). Not really an issue normally, although sometimes in the winter there are slow drying items hanging in the windows above radiators in bedrooms to dry before they start smelling musty.

It may have been really chilly over the past couple of days but I got two full loads of 'heavy duty washing items' (sweatshirts, jumpers, cardigans and towels) dry outside in a matter of hours because it was also windy.

Using the ideal home link and expecting the cost of electricity to double it would cost us £335 if we used our tumble drier once a day. Compared to other places we can save money (eg swap to shopping more at Aldi) this is quite small for us.

Aargh!! 0.0165 x 20.8 = 0.34. Can't type straight! 0.34 x 4 (for 4 hours drying time) = 1.37 thus 1.37p per load

[quote whereisthejasmine]ah ha I have foudn something. This is what I wanted to know, link here in case it is helpful for others. Looks like a dryer load is going to be over £1 a load, but not £6 as per the lady on the news earlier this morning. So I can still use it but will use it sparingly (ie finishing off the washing that I have had out on the line)

www.nea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Electricity-Consumption-Around-the-Home.pdf[/quote]
Thank you for this.

I saw the lady on the news too and raised an eyebrow when she said £6.00 a load. It normally costs me around 15-25p per hour, depending on cycle, amount of clothes, fabric type etc (I have a pre pay meter so can easily check how much it's cost). I line dry whenever I can but as a family of 7 it's invaluable when it's too wet or cold.

Sorry total punctuation fail in that last post.

@HeddaGarbled

Before the increased prices, I checked my smart meter before and after while there was nothing else on apart from the fridge/freezer, and it was 60p for 90 minutes. I did this because I, like you, was wondering whether to stop using it. I’ve decided to use it less often and dry things on an airer indoors, but I’ll still use it when I really need to.

Did you check your meter was set to the correct tarrif?

www.which.co.uk/reviews/tumble-dryers/article/top-five-best-energy-efficient-tumble-dryers-aEhGl1x9bRqJ?source_code=911CRJ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlO_0_bry9gIV5IFQBh2_hgjbEAAYAiAAEgKTtvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.DS for tumble dryer costs

www.which.co.uk/reviews/dehumidifiers/article/recommendations/which-best-buy-dehumidifiers?source_code=911CRJ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp4DJu7vy9gIVCurtCh17BAahEAAYASAAEgJro_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds For dehumidifier costs

We use a dehumidifier for drying clothes that can’t be tumble-dried, and this dries them fast. If I had to choose one over the other, I’d get rid of the tumble dryer and keep the dehumidifier

Not sure but I more or less abandoned ours a long time ago because it eats up energy, the meter flies round when it’s on. Very rarely use in winter to finish off bedding for 20 minutes.

DH built a system that can push away on top of high kitchen cupboards, retractable steel poles so it’s like one of those old fashioned airers but no pulley or space taken. We do keep windows open all the time so no issue with damp. I appreciate it means heat goes out the window.

The other thing is how much washing you do, everyone has a different standard. My sister always changes her bed sheets every Friday as regular as clockwork. I do mine every two weeks. so that’s 26 more loads of washing a year for her for starters.

I very much hope, for the sake of the planet, that this will put paid to people washing towels, sheets and PJ’s every day, and other laundry lunacies seen on MN.

@takenearlyretirement ... I love the product, and good for you, but I'm not sure the maths is right? I think it's costing you x9 times more than you think? ... it's still cheap though! Please take this in the spirit of being helpful and enabling you to budget, not me being a pedantic arse ... it's said with helpfulness in mind. ...

165kwph.... over 4 hours, is .660kwh.

.660 x28p which is the price cap (not 20p you stated, unless that's your own personal fixed cap).

.660 x28p is actually 18p per load of washing, not 2p you stated.

@AgentCarterRocks

We have a dehumidifier next to our airer in our spare room / office. I don't have the dehumidifier running while I'm working but once I finish, set it going, close the door behind me, clothes dry by morning.

Definitely have to keep the doors and windows closed though, or you're just attempting to dry out the entire environment!

I do exactly the same!

No outside space here, so dehumidifier & airer all year. I do have a washer-dryer, but the dryer part only gets used when absolutely necessary (which is rarely).

Just done some maths and to do one load a day will cost us nearly £250 per year! As soon as it's warm again the line it is.

Maybe if you're using a vented tumble dryer from 10/20 years ago.

Honestly when I looked at tumble dryers this summer it's impossible to make sense of the energy use because there are such huge differences between older ones and newer ones as well as the different types, each source will make a different estimate on power usage. You'll also get fluctuations in power usage depending on the cycle you choose, how wet the clothes are when they go in, how dry you want them to be, how big the load, how clean your filters are. The best way to check the usage of your tumble dryer is to get one of those plug in meters that go between the plug and the socket and check how many Kw/h it's using during the normal cycle that you tend to run.

I fucking hope not! I'm on my second load of the day.
FML how are we at the point where we can't afford to wash our bedding once a week in this country?

I've actually started looking at and smelling clothes as well instead of automatically washing stuff after every wear ( save underwear which I think just needs washing). If we wash less then that saves as well and then there's less to dry.

@QuantumWeatherButterfly

The room I usually dry in is our windowless utility. It's great if I put the underfloor heating on, but that seems to defeat the object of tumble drying less! Without it, though, it's basically a cold, dank cave. Will a dehumidifier really make that much difference given little ventilation, no warmth from sunlight and low temperatures? I dry outside if I can, but not always possible.

Dehumidifiers with a laundry setting are very good in those circumstances.

It's a shame you don't have access to natural ventilation there so I would suggest running a desk fan or similar every so often would help change the air and create some movement.

When my drier is on at my current electricity price it’s costing about 20p per hour. I’m anticipating that doubling at the end of April when my fixed tariff ends so 40p per hour. The average full load takes 2.5 hours so £1 per load. Which is still quite a lot of money 🧐

@takenearlyretirement
It draws 165 watts so by my reckoning, with the new price cap sitting at 20.8p per kWh, (0.165 x 20.8 = 0.34) it should cost under 2p per load
The price is per kWh not per kW.
You need to multiply the watts by the number of hours used - 0.165kW x 4h x 20.8p = 13.7p per load (I think)
Still, much cheaper than a tumble dryer.

We don’t have a tumble dryer, only the two of us & cat. There is not really any emergency to get certain clothes dry in time like you would have if you are washing & drying school uniforms, p.e. Kits etc.

My husband works from home three days a week now & usually two in the office. Company only rents one floor instead of two in the building now since Pandemic, & the whole Dept does not fit in the space they have for everyone at the same time five days a week. Sorry that’s my roundabout way of saying he just wears causal clothes whilst at home, & we have plenty of time to wash & dry his clothes for the office.

I use an airer in the kitchen overnight in the winter, well ventilated, & we have no problem with damp. My washing machine has a pretty good spin on it, & I don’t find things are that wet to be honest. We have a vertical radiator in the bathroom, & if we have the heating on anyway, I use that to dry underwear on quickly if needed.

@cupofdecaf

I've actually started looking at and smelling clothes as well instead of automatically washing stuff after every wear ( save underwear which I think just needs washing). If we wash less then that saves as well and then there's less to dry.

Same here, things like jumpers don't need washing if they're not actually stained. My kids are wearing pyjamas for 2 night in a row instead of washing after 1. Leggings and jeans can be spot cleaned.

obviously will depend on your model and its efficiency but can't be anywhere near that surly?

looking on currys - the fancy new heat pump ones say for example 1.85kwh for a full load - if you round up to 2kwh thats 90p at 45p/kwh. so less than a pound.

older ones will be less efficient. A condenser Logik model on currys (picking one of the cheaper models that isn't a heatpump) says 4.18kwh for a full load. at 45p/kwh that'd be about £2 for a load

A tumble dryer in the 70s is absolutely no comparison to the modern ones of today.

And as for how people managed before tumble dryers - they had fewer clothes that they washed less often. More natural fibres like wool, rather than polycotton which picks up sweat quickly and needs washing more often. Older houses were less sealed and "breathed" more meaning less prone to damp. Of course you can dry outside and use airers today as well but it's not exactly the same situation.

@forlornlorna

I'm on a pre payment meter. Put a load in my dryer this morning. 2 pounds!!!!

My dd has a rare skin condition. All her bedding has to be changed everyday, her clothing has to be washed on very hot temperature to get the creams and blood out. I could cry

But yeah no where near 6 pounds

Do you get DLA @forlornlorna? If not maybe apply and that could help with some of the costs associated with your child's conditions?

That says £1.62 per load rather than per hour. A load varies massively in how long it takes, light sheets 30-40 mins, towels a couple of hours.

Different question though - our washing machine and tumble dryer are in our non-insulated generally cold garage. Would it be worth trying to get a ceiling drying rack for in there or would it be fairly pointless as it is usually cold and dark?