Why the garage is one of the worst and most expensive places for your dryer
If you want to save money and reduce your energy bills, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place.
It turns out that the position of your dryer could be the reason why your bills are so high – so if you want to reduce costs, you need to pay attention.
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Around two-thirds of British households own a tumble dryer, and many will limit their use to save money.
But when it’s raining and windy outside and you need to dry the laundry without sheets and towels taking over your house, there’s no denying that it’s an incredibly useful gadget.
But thanks to home experts, there’s a surefire way to use your dryer and lower your energy bills — and it’s that simple.
The simple trick is to simply select the best location for the device in your home.
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It turns out that the cost of running a clothes dryer varies greatly depending on the type. The three main types are: ventilated, condenser and heat pump, which is the most energy efficient.
According to Ideal housea 9kg vented tumble dryer costs an average of £1.23 per cycle and £146.28 per year, while a 9kg condenser costs £1.20 per cycle and £141.91 per year.
Meanwhile, a 9kg heat pump tumble dryer costs just 50p per cycle and £59.57 per year.
But if you want to make sure your dryer doesn’t cost you more than it should, location is key.
There are several possible locations for a tumble dryer in the home, with many people choosing under the kitchen sink, in a utility room or in an outdoor garage.
While many prefer a hidden but accessible location, Hoover’s appliance experts pointed out that the temperature in the room should also be taken into account.
They explained: “Many people may not realize that the placement of a tumble dryer can actually affect its efficiency.
“If you place your dryer in a warm place in your home, it will require less energy to heat the air to the necessary temperatures, reducing your energy costs.”
How to dry wet laundry indoors, in winter
Drying rack or drying rack
Fill your drying rack with wet laundry and place it near a heat source (such as a radiator or direct sunlight) to distribute the air around your clothes.
Dehumidifier
Connect a dehumidifier in a room where clothes are hanging so that they dry quickly and prevent moisture and mold. Many now have a laundry setting.
Tumble dryer
A tumble dryer can heat moisture from wet laundry, which saves time and can be used in all weather conditions.
Heated airer
Many brands and stores now sell heated airers for as little as £30. The racks are heated by electricity and can speed up drying time.
Open a window
Choose a spare room or unused room to keep your laundry and open a window but close the door behind you.
Use curtain poles
Hang wet laundry on radiators and then hook them on curtain rods with the radiators underneath. The heat will rise and dry the items. Alternatively, if you have a shower curtain rod, you can hang your clothes in the bathroom with a window open.
This is called the “ambient temperature”, which directly affects the resulting temperature of the equipment current scattering.
But according to Zanussia retailer of white goods and appliances, tumble dryers may not function properly if the ambient temperature is too high or too low.
They shared: “The optimal room temperature to achieve the best drying results is between 19C and 24C. If the ambient temperature is too low, the drying time will be longer.”
When the room temperature is between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius, the drying time can be extended by as much as 30 percent, which can increase annual costs if the device is placed in cold rooms.
5 Money-saving tips for autumn/winter
1. Make your home draught-free
It takes time and money to heat your home, so it’s important that you do everything you can to keep the heat in. Close your doors and windows and fill any gaps with weather stripping.
2. Turn down your thermostat
According to Energy UK, lowering the thermostat by just one degree Celsius can reduce your heating costs by up to 10% and save you around £85 a year. And if you don’t have a thermostat, installing one can save you up to $70 per year!
3. Move furniture
Ensure that large, bulky furniture such as sofas does not block the radiators.
4. Wash clothes at a lower temperature and add extra spin cycle
Unless it is bedding, towels or very dirty items, turn the temperature down to 20 or 30 degrees and rotate the machine twice to remove excess water.
5. Heat the person, not the house
There is no point in heating up a room with no one in it, so pay close attention to which radiators are on.
As a result, the kitchen or in rooms with constant heating is the ideal place to place a tumble dryer during the winter months, taking advantage of the heat from ovens and radiators to maintain “optimal” conditions and reduce drying time.
In areas as cold as 5 to 10 degrees Celsius, such as some outdoor garages, it can take 45 to 60 minutes to dry the same load of clothes as if they were being dried in a warm room.
For heavy fabrics such as towels and bed linen, which typically dry within an hour at temperatures above 16 degrees Celsius, the time can increase to approximately 1.2 hours if the ambient temperature is between 10 degrees Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius.
This increases again to about 1.5 hours if the temperature is even lower (5C to 10C).
