Energy labels

Tumble dryers can use quite a lot of energy during the drying cycle, so energy-efficiency can make a big difference to their cost in use — especially if you have no alternative such as line drying.

For example if you use a tumble dryer 150 times a year (or about three times a week) the energy usage quickly mounts up:

• a 2kWh/cycle A rated appliance would use 300kWh over a year
• a 4kWh/cycle C rated appliance would use 600kWh over the same period

In 2011 electricity prices are at an average about 14.35p/kWh, that makes a difference of 300 x 14.35p = £43.05. So, if you think your tumble-dryer will last around ten years that’s a difference of around £516 on the cost of the electricity that you use, maybe more with rising electricity prices.

Some units with a low energy use achieve this by running the cycle over a long period — sometimes several hours — which can be inconvenient. Others use innovative technology such as heat pumps to make the heat generation much more efficient than a traditional resistance heating unit. Check before you buy.