Key Post Tumble dryers most energy consuming household appliance

esperanza2

Registered User
Messages
51
To those of you who use tumble dryers, beware they are the most energy consuming household appliances, so if you want to cut your energy bill, sell your tumble dryer now! Try instead to dry your clothes indoors on clothes horses. Even without the heating on, clothes dry. Gas and electricity prices will continue to rocket in coming years, so keep your household appliances to a bare minimum - good for your pocket, and good for the environment! ;-)

[broken link removed]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2008/may/02/treadlightlyswitchofftumbl

http://www.energyefficientireland.ie/lighting-electrics/tumble-dryers/tumble-dryers
 
+1 - Spring/Summer - outdoors.
Autumn/Winter - the occasional time outdoors - but otherwise, clothes horse on the landing. Don't put clothes on Rads - that defeats the purpose of central heating!
Tumble dryer in place - but use it very occasionally - for emergency use only.
 
Saw a recommendation to use a dehumidifier in a room to aid clothes horse drying of clothes (apparently the electrical usage is a fraction of using a tumble dryer). Anyone use this method?
 
Just remember that the water in your wet clothes has to go somewhere! Think about volume of water that you pour away if you have a condensing dryer, and imagine it all around your house, condensing on your windows, walls and furnishings. Believe me it can ruin your house, especially curtains and blinds because they are beside the windows and its where most of the water will condense. When it does, it leads to moulds growing on the furnishings, very unsightly and some people claim that they can cause ill health.

I have no problem with people using an outside clothes line more, but be wary of chucking away the tumble dryer.
 
Just remember that the water in your wet clothes has to go somewhere! Think about volume of water that you pour away if you have a condensing dryer, and imagine it all around your house, condensing on your windows, walls and furnishings. Believe me it can ruin your house, especially curtains and blinds because they are beside the windows and its where most of the water will condense. When it does, it leads to moulds growing on the furnishings, very unsightly and some people claim that they can cause ill health.

I have no problem with people using an outside clothes line more, but be wary of chucking away the tumble dryer.

I'd second that, having held out for many years on getting a tumble dryer I can't believe the change it has made to our lives. Actually when I calculate the amount of drying I had to bring to the laundrette I am actually saving. We have cut out and down on energy consumption everywhere else and insulated well in what is a relatively old house. Major upside, no more steamy windows and if I use delayed timing to take advantage of nighttime rates it's making life easier. Plus, for the first time we are able be organized without having endless drying horses all over the place for months on end.
BTW tried the dehumidifier which has some effect i.e. the bucket was filling with water, but in terms of visual impact on wet windows and walls it was it was not really successful.
 
Just remember that the water in your wet clothes has to go somewhere! Think about volume of water that you pour away if you have a condensing dryer, and imagine it all around your house, condensing on your windows, walls and furnishings. Believe me it can ruin your house, especially curtains and blinds because they are beside the windows and its where most of the water will condense. When it does, it leads to moulds growing on the furnishings, very unsightly and some people claim that they can cause ill health.

I have no problem with people using an outside clothes line more, but be wary of chucking away the tumble dryer.


If you put your clothes on a high spin cycle 1800 rpm your clothes shouldn't come out of the machine soaking wet.

Put your clothes on a extra spin cycle if you want your clothes to come out less wet.

Some people have no balcony or garden to dry their clothes, remember and have to dry them indoors. I've been doing so for years and all my furniture, curtains, etc. and my health is perfect. It's all about using the right spin cycle and keeping the windows open while drying.

If you don't want to dry in your house, if you have a spare shed you could put up a clothes line there. My family does this and the clothese dry very quickly.
 
We try to hang the clothes outside as much as possible, if there is not a lot of clothes, we hang the clothes over the landing and have a dehumidifier running there.
As a last resort we use the dryer, but have not noticed a significant increase in electric used.
 
I adore my tumble dryer - washing gets washed, washing gets dried, washing goes away all in the space of 2 hours. Its worth it and I call mine "Duncan" after drole Mr. Stewart who once spent practically a whole episode besmirching driers! Hmmph
 
Back
Top