Need a new tumble dryer - energy ratings?

oldskoo1

Time to replace our tiny tumble dryer of about 15 years. Its so old i don't even recognise the name. I have no idea how much electricity it uses.

I'm confused how they rate these things

Most dryers seem to use around 500-550kwh annual and some of these get B ratings

However I've seen a few cheaper dryers rated C but use around 295kwh. About 44% less electricity.

Am I missing something here? Why are these dryers given a poorer rating but use nearly half the electricity.

Should I ignore the stated annual energy consumption or the ratings?

As it's time for a new dryer I want something fairly efficient but without paying the £800-1000 price the 170kwh a++ command.

I would like to understand how to judge energy consumption. I want the cheapest possible dryer that uses the least amount of electricity. We hardly use the thing so it would be silly to buy a very expensive one just to save £40 a year.

Thanks

Jonesya

One thing you've not mentioned is where the heat goes - if you've got a condensing tumble dryer inside then all of the heat helps warm the house.

If you're using it mostly in winter then it's not all waste.

daveyjp

If you hardly use it why are you so concerned about how much it costs to run? We use ours for every load and its not as expensive as people make out, tens of pence per load. An electric shower will use far more.

27col

A specific volume of water will require a specific amount of energy to remove it from the washing. So I cannot see that one dryer can be any more efficient than another. It might vary the time required, but not the amount of heat/energy and thus the cost.

dave030445

go for a samsung heat pump very cheep to run A+++ And its a brill dryer

dave030445

27col wrote: »

A specific volume of water will require a specific amount of energy to remove it from the washing. So I cannot see that one dryer can be any more efficient than another. It might vary the time required, but not the amount of heat/energy and thus the cost.

unless you use heat pump technology then its much much cheaper

oldskoo1

27col wrote: »

A specific volume of water will require a specific amount of energy to remove it from the washing. So I cannot see that one dryer can be any more efficient than another. It might vary the time required, but not the amount of heat/energy and thus the cost.

So is it cheaper to run a spin cycle in the wm and then finish it off in any dryer? The cheapest dryer I can find I suppose

dave030445 wrote: »

go for a samsung heat pump very cheep to run A+++ And its a brill dryer

These I'm sure are great but they are nearly 1k. The zanussi one I saw was £200. The samsung one would have to last 12 years to break even assuming the zanussi breaks every 3 years.

jhe

I have a White Knight sensor dryer, no frills but excellent value for money.Instead of setting a timer I set it to auto turn off when washing is dry
Bought it from a small local shop that beat internet,Argos and Asda prices for the same model
this is the model I bought but not from this supplier I paid less http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/c86aw/payover42
White Knight do a more basic cheaper dryer

rustyboy21

daveyjp wrote: »

If you hardly use it why are you so concerned about how much it costs to run? We use ours for every load and its not as expensive as people make out, tens of pence per load. An electric shower will use far more.

Exactly


We only use our Beko vented C rated dryer and have found no discernible increase in our electricity bills. It is one of the cheaper ones out there, has sensor dry on it, so switches off when the clothes are dry ( extra dry for me). It is a good product and no issues with it at all. It is used maybe 4 times a week, has a large load capacity and dries them great.


This is it, but got it from Local Euronics centre who were cheaper.


http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/Beko_Freestanding_7kg_Vented_Sensor_Tumble_Dryer_DRVS73W/version.asp

paddyrg

Surprisingly, moving air is more effective per unit energy than heated air at absorbing water - even on a rainy day! If you can put a normal fan on a clothes horse with an open window it'll be surprisingly effective for very little power relatively.

Another thing to note - if you put fewer clothes in the wash (or split the load for the spin cycle) you'll find the machine spins faster and takes out more of the moisture far more efficiently than a tumble drier, and this'll give you a food head start

[Deleted User]

I've got an old Parnall 292 dryer which was handed down and must be about 20 years old or so. It's the kind that just chucks the hot air out into the room through the door. No idea on the energy efficiency of it but does it really matter, I only use it in winter and when I need stuff dry straight away e.g to wear that day.