Tumble dryer - heat pump - your experiences

getmore4less

Priced yo-yo a lot so you have to use the price checkers and watch for a while for the low points.

picking 2 ~equivalent models from Beko
https://www.beko.co.uk/appliances/laundry/tumble-dryers

9kg heat pump ~£380.
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/tumble-dryers/beko-pro-dhx93460w-9-kg-heat-pump-tumble-dryer-white-10181342-pdt.html
product fiche
https://brain-images-ssl.cdn.dixons.com/file/23/77/10/00/243365_as_2.0_16052018_134649_20180517-17732.pdf
2.14 kWh per full cycle

9kg condenser ~£270
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/tumble-dryers/beko-pro-dcx93150w-condenser-tumble-dryer-white-10146711-pdt.html

product fiche
https://brain-images-ssl.cdn.dixons.com/file/23/47/00/00/164749_as_4.0_23052016_140221_20160524-7432.pdf
5.12kWh

at 14p/kWh and 1 full dry a week that's £22 saved,  5years(ish) payback

The ratings are based on 160 cycles 

abc987

the problem with Currys is that they usually deliver the items damaged. 
Items get damaged in the truck.

floppydisk1

Condenser ( not heat pump ) is the best in domestic setting as you are not limited by plumbing, being close to external wall on anything, you can plug in virtually  ( almost ) anywhere. Heat pump is cheaper to run in the long run, but take longer to heat  up and operate so not saving that much in real life as energy saved on continuous heat generation is spend on spinning machine and pump for a lot longer. It does make sense in commercial or heavy use settings though ( commercial are mostly gas powered as that is a LOT cheaper than electricity )  - to dry load after load ....   Use it 3 x per week will see well over half of potentially saved energy spend on heating it up from cold every time and longer spin time + they cost considerably more so will take years and I do mean YEARS to break even ( saved energy vs extra initial outlay ) not to mention that they are far more complicated  ( as vented drier is the simplest machine you can have, simple condenser is very close second ) so chances are that something will go wrong in 10  ( on average )  years it takes to break even money wise.  I am not against heat exchanger drier, just don't see much of potential saving realised in normal family use so I prefer to keep it simple . 

getmore4less

floppydisk1 said:

Condenser ( not heat pump ) is the best in domestic setting as you are not limited by plumbing, being close to external wall on anything, you can plug in virtually  ( almost ) anywhere. Heat pump is cheaper to run in the long run, but take longer to heat  up and operate so not saving that much in real life as energy saved on continuous heat generation is spend on spinning machine and pump for a lot longer. It does make sense in commercial or heavy use settings though ( commercial are mostly gas powered as that is a LOT cheaper than electricity )  - to dry load after load ....   Use it 3 x per week will see well over half of potentially saved energy spend on heating it up from cold every time and longer spin time + they cost considerably more so will take years and I do mean YEARS to break even ( saved energy vs extra initial outlay ) not to mention that they are far more complicated  ( as vented drier is the simplest machine you can have, simple condenser is very close second ) so chances are that something will go wrong in 10  ( on average )  years it takes to break even money wise.  I am not against heat exchanger drier, just don't see much of potential saving realised in normal family use so I prefer to keep it simple . 

The rating take account of the longer running times and power used by the motors and the heat pump.

They are per cycle not per hour for a 9kg machine typically ~2kwh  against  ~5kwh for a condenser/vented

Most of the energy used is the heater in condenser/vented. 

Thinking because it runs longer it uses more is a misunderstanding of how these things work and energy use is measured  for the cycles and the ratings you see for the machines.  

The longer dry time is not a problem for organized people and with a decent washer with good spin efficiency the times stated are a lot longer than real life..

Breakeven on 3 loads a weeks is under 2 years on £130 price difference. 

getmore4less

abc987 said:

the problem with Currys is that they usually deliver the items damaged. 
Items get damaged in the truck.

Other suppliers are available often same model just different numbers does not change the specs and the saving. just look at the product fiche and manual for the cycle costs to work out your payback times. We went Grundig full 5y warranty,(currys only) payback 3 years on our use cases over an equivalent condenser.

floppydisk1

getmore4less said:

floppydisk1 said:

Condenser ( not heat pump ) is the best in domestic setting as you are not limited by plumbing, being close to external wall on anything, you can plug in virtually  ( almost ) anywhere. Heat pump is cheaper to run in the long run, but take longer to heat  up and operate so not saving that much in real life as energy saved on continuous heat generation is spend on spinning machine and pump for a lot longer. It does make sense in commercial or heavy use settings though ( commercial are mostly gas powered as that is a LOT cheaper than electricity )  - to dry load after load ....   Use it 3 x per week will see well over half of potentially saved energy spend on heating it up from cold every time and longer spin time + they cost considerably more so will take years and I do mean YEARS to break even ( saved energy vs extra initial outlay ) not to mention that they are far more complicated  ( as vented drier is the simplest machine you can have, simple condenser is very close second ) so chances are that something will go wrong in 10  ( on average )  years it takes to break even money wise.  I am not against heat exchanger drier, just don't see much of potential saving realised in normal family use so I prefer to keep it simple . 

The rating take account of the longer running times and power used by the motors and the heat pump.

They are per cycle not per hour for a 9kg machine typically ~2kwh  against  ~5kwh for a condenser/vented

Most of the energy used is the heater in condenser/vented. 

Thinking because it runs longer it uses more is a misunderstanding of how these things work and energy use is measured  for the cycles and the ratings you see for the machines.  

The longer dry time is not a problem for organized people and with a decent washer with good spin efficiency the times stated are a lot longer than real life..

Breakeven on 3 loads a weeks is under 2 years on £130 price difference. 

Not quite ,comparing the cheapest heat exchanger is a false economy to start with.  Your stated numbers are per manufacturer ideal conditions lab test  info pack - try to do it with actual meter in real life on the machine that will last at least  5 years +  ( and I can tell you that even on quoted numbers £ 130 price difference is not paid for in under 2 years...)  Not to mention that ideal condition test result will leave you with slightly damp clothes. I have taken apart enough off them, heard enough actual customers comparisons and tested more than enough of them to have my opinion.
 Not saying there is no place for a heat exchange drier, just saying that very few private homes will find them more practical and cheaper in the long run - as any decent heat exchanger is  at least £ 200 - 250  + more than a decent vented or condenser only drier and most of those at the cheap end will break at around break even point time or earlier. ( not all - but most ) . On the other hand I have seen quite a few domestic driers that are 15 - 20 + years old  as with no added heat pump they are the simplest appliances, even most good quality washing machines break well before those simple driers. Had quite a few  repairs (very good  made of steel washing machine -not full on disco lights made of plastic with sealed drum and so on ) repairs where customer asked to check the drier while I was there - WM needed new bearings or drum or pump, dried was absolutely 100 % fine.

abc987

Where's the best place to get a discount on a tumble dryer?

abc987

PS - don't really want to buy a second hand one.

grumbler

abc987 said:

Where's the best place to get a discount on a tumble dryer?

https://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/tumble-dryer