Are Tumble Dryers Expensive To Run In The UK?

We all know that tumble dryers are hardly the most efficient of home appliances. After all, they use up a lot of energy and can add a sizeable chunk to our annual energy bills. But how expensive is it to run a tumble dryer in the UK? At Repair Aid, we’re washing machine experts thanks to repairing, servicing and installing tumble dryers on a daily basis over many years. In this article, we’re going to break-down some of the average costs of tumble dryers and offer advice on how you can curtail your tumble dryer bill.

The average cost of a tumble dryer in the UK

Due to the various manufacturers, makes and models that are available on the UK market, as well as the different frequencies that people use their tumble dryers, it can be hard to pin down exact figures. However, we can break down the cost differences by energy rating. Dryers come with energy ratings of ‘A‘ all the way down to ‘G‘ – an ‘A’ rating being the most energy efficient, a ‘G’ rating being the least energy efficient.

The average, highly efficient tumble dryer will cost somewhere in the region of about £30/year; whereas a ‘C’ rated dryer could cost roughly £100. On average, however, tumble dryers tend to cost about £60/year to run.

If you’re thinking of buying a new dryer, it’s incredibly important to consider its energy rating. A cheap tumble dryer may look enticing, but it won’t be enticing when you see your energy bill. If you pay a little bit more for an efficient machine, you’ll reap the benefits for years. A switch of tumble dryers could save you in the region of £50/year. As a lot of average dryers tend to sit at the £200 mark, saving £50/year is a worthwhile consideration – especially if you keep the tumble dryer in good working order for years to come.

No Dryer = More Savings

If you’re really looking to save money then you’ll want to consider just buying a washing machine on its own. After all, there are other ways to dry your clothes – such as on a clothesline outside, a clotheshorse inside or even on the radiator. However, do keep in mind that the weather can rain on your plans (and your clothes), and keeping wet clothes around the house is actually a health risk – especially if you have respiratory problems, asthma or allergies. It’s also not a good idea if your property has problems with damp as the extra moisture in the air will just exacerbate the issue.

If you have the ability to dry outside, a little bit of careful planning can help you avoid the weather problem. This is both the healthiest and cheapest way to dry clothes. For those living in a flat and with no access to outdoor drying facilities, it might be worth biting the bullet and buying a tumble dryer.

Tips to keep your dryer costs down

Even if you do end up buying a tumble dryer, there are benefits over air drying clothes. After all, it’s way faster and ensures your clothes are ready to wear again in no time at all – an important consideration for parents and guardians of messy schoolkids!

Do large loads of drying

While pushing the limits of your washing machine’s capacity isn’t going to help extend the life expectancy of your tumble dryer, it is going to mean that you use it less. And less dryer cycles means less energy spent.

Spin cycles vs. dryer cycles

Consider running your clothes on a spin cycle before drying them. This may not fully dry your clothes, but it will dry them enough to allow you to run a short drying cycle. As the washing machine side of your tumble dryer uses less energy than your dryer, this is an effective way to reduce the time spent drying your clothes through heat.

Placement is key

Place your dryer in a warm location in your room home as this will mean that the air won’t need to be warmed up and, thus, saves energy.

Keep it in the (material) family

Washing and drying clothes of a similar material is good because clothes have different drying times depending on the material. By placing them together, you can run shorter cycles for materials that dry quicker; and longer cycles for materials that take longer to dry. Overall, this is more effective and cost-efficient than always running longer cycles.

Get it professionally installed and regularly serviced

A properly installed and operated dryer will always be more energy efficient than one which is not. Additionally, your dryer will run into problems over its lifecycle. One way to avoid emergency repair costs is to get it regularly serviced every couple of years. At Repair Aid, we install, service and repair tumble dryers at a reasonable cost. We also provide 12-month guarantees on all of our work too.