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Original poster

£6 for a load in the tumble dryer?

277 replies

whereisthejasmine · 01/04/2022 08:24

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
JackieWeaver101 · 01/04/2022 09:58

Unless you have free heating, drying clothes indoors is a false economy as it increases hearing costs significantly. Turning down the thermostat and an energy-efficient heat pump dryer is a more sensible choice.

Also, drying clothes indoors results in mould and is a leading cause of respiratory problems.

SolasAnla · 01/04/2022 09:59

@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango

I too have given away my tumble dryer. I use a drying wrack in my bedroom and hang clothes on hangers from picture rails - not pretty but free!
If your clothing is wet/damp and touching the wall you may end up blow out your plasterwork which is semiporous
Chloemol · 01/04/2022 09:59

@OutlookStalking

Drying indoors is one of the biggest causes of damp. We abandoned this many years ago (asthma/eczema) after a mumsnet thread allerted us to this!!
I dry my stuff indoors in the winter with no issues

In the second bedroom, two clothes horses do plenty of airport between, and shirts, tops etc on hangers hanging from the curtain rail, gals in between, and if necessary window slightly open

Never had a damp issue

Chloemol · 01/04/2022 09:59

Plenty of air between clothes

I really wish the site had a edit button

BertieBotts · 01/04/2022 10:00

You do need to look at the energy consumption per load rather than per hour - appliances like washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers do not consume a steady consistent amount of energy the whole time they are on, they will consume more or less at different times of the cycle (more dramatically so for appliances that heat water). This is why the "eco" setting is usually really long - it's using less electricity over a longer period of time.

Neverreturntoathread · 01/04/2022 10:01

@kittensinthekitchen

Surely drying indoors on a conventional clothes horse is only really efficient if the heating is on?
Yep!
Octomore · 01/04/2022 10:02

I use clothes horses and never had a damp issue - we do leave our windows on the vent though, so plenty of airflow.

CharSiu · 01/04/2022 10:02

@DockOTheBay as kids we had nighties for a week but no automatic washing machines so laundry was a huge effort. All by hand, a mangle and the sheets were boil washed in what was called a copper.I’m in my mid fifties and they were about, I think my family must have been one of the last to wash like this. I remember the absolute joy when I was 14 and we got a twin tub.

poshme · 01/04/2022 10:03

My tumble drier (1 load) costs £1.60 to run. Or I can run the dehumidifier and dry 2 loads hanging on airers for about a quarter of that price.

I hang stuff outside of at all possible. Even if only for an hour it's drier than when I took it out.

BertieBotts · 01/04/2022 10:03

If you're using airers the most important factor is airflow - I found a tower style airer the best for this as it doesn't drape the clothes over each other. Argos and Ikea sell them. Most of the heated airers are tower style and I'm convinced it's this rather than the heating that makes them better.

Heat helps, particularly because warm air can hold more moisture without causing condensation, but airflow is the primary thing.

hedgehogger1 · 01/04/2022 10:03

Never owned a tumble drier and always managed fine. No damp in my house either

SilverHairedCat · 01/04/2022 10:03

"According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average tumble dryer uses roughly 4.5 kWh per cycle".

I'm paying 28.4p (ish) per kWh, so it would about £1.28p per cycle.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 01/04/2022 10:05

We bought a Tapo smart plug to see what it was costing us for various things via an app. I believe my usual 8kg load of washing was 1kw and a usual tumble drying load of joggers/t shirts was 2.4kw. Mine is a B rated 9kg Beko condenser sensor machine and takes around 45 - 50 minutes to dry.

My current electricity supply is with Octopus and was 19.5p kWh and from today is 27.3p kWh.

My washing machine costs 27p per load
My tumble dryer costs 66p if my maths is correct.

WirlyWillowtree · 01/04/2022 10:06

I add a dry hand towel to anything I tumble as it’s supposed to help, I read it here, can’t be sure but I think it does speed it up, I only try and tumble the towels when they are damp and have been on the line for a while. But I think my tumble dryers days are numbered.

I also tried the sheet over the airer with it pulled out over the radiator (a bit like the Lakeland covered indoor dryer idea), again not sure if it helps or not.

I watch the weather and put stuff in the night before on timed start if I remember because the suns a bit hit and miss in my garden in the winter.

Wam90 · 01/04/2022 10:07

@OutlookStalking sorry to be dim, is this air drying that you’re referring to? Thank you.

Neverreturntoathread · 01/04/2022 10:07

OP thanks for posting, this is an interesting read and I had also been wondering what the rough cost of a dryer load is.

For what it’s worth, my laundry drying options are:

  1. Tumble drier.
  2. Clothes horse with heating on and dehumidifier running - not sure of cost to this but wouldn’t call it environmentally friendly.
  3. Clothes line outside on the rare days its warm enough (leaves clothes stinking of car fumes from nearby motorway, can’t wait til petrol cars are phased out!).

Anyone who is drying clothes inside with windows shut and no dehumidifier - please watch out for mould especially on ceiling corners, I badly damaged a house this way!

(And to the person who asked how people coped before we had driers - well my granny used to dry laundry in front of her coal fire but I’m not sure that helps us 🤣)

Cameliah · 01/04/2022 10:08

I have a tumble dryer but I’m not going to be able to afford to use it as often. I don’t have access to an outdoor washing line. I also can’t afford to put the heating on. So I don’t see what choice I have other than to put the clothes on a clothes horse in a chilly house and just hope for the best?

playmelikeasymphony · 01/04/2022 10:10

@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

Have you looked into whether your daughter would qualify for DLA?
coodawoodashooda · 01/04/2022 10:11

@0ats

Don't use one. Clothes horse all winter and washing line in spring summer.
That makes my house damp and creates other expensive problems.
Smudge77 · 01/04/2022 10:11

I reduce the time I need in the tumble dryer by putting a large dry towel in the tumble dryer with "the wet" clothes, let the towel absorbs some of the moisture, works for me. But I still prefer outside line drying.

1stTimeMama · 01/04/2022 10:12

My tumble dryer broke yesterday, so I'm now wondering what to do for the best after reading this thread. Does anyone have a big family and doesn't use a drier? There are 7 of us, plus a dog with bedding and blankets. The weather is here is great in summer, but it rains a heck of a lot in general. I don't have a spare room for an airer, or radiators to dry things on, and the house is already damp and we have mould in certain parts. We don't have a bath to dry things over, and no extractor in the bathroom. I can't afford to be spending a fortune drying stuff, but I don't see how else I can go it efficiently!

BookShop · 01/04/2022 10:12

We have just purchased a heat pump tumble dryer and when looking the difference in energy consumption for these devices is astonishing! The cheaper models looked great but worked out much more expensive per load than the more expensive models. It is a minefield. I dry where possible outdoors but do use a tumble nearly everyday in the winter. I make energy choices elsewhere. The convenience of a tumble is too great for me.

Namechangeforthis88 · 01/04/2022 10:12

It doesn't need to be warm outside for your clothes to dry on a line.

Live in Edinburgh. Don't possess tumble dryer.

I've been line drying clothes, towels and bedding right through winter, as have my friends, family and neighbours.

I do check the forecast and aim to get more done on days with less cloud cover.

BigSandyBalls2015 · 01/04/2022 10:18

Wash things less. Clothes don't need to be washed after just one wear .... exception obv being underwear and socks.

Kids wearing PJs for just two nights! Mine wore them for best part of a week when they were little unless they had accidents. Bedclothes don't need changing weekly (obv for some people like a PP it's different), but generally speaking.

oakleaffy · 01/04/2022 10:19

FRANCE have capped electricity increases at 4%

The French have a great reputation for protest and direct action, I do respect them for that.

How can the French keep electric prices so 'Low' whereas ours soar??