With energy bills on an ever-upward climb, it’s never been more important to consider how much electricity we’re consuming! There are quite a few ways to rein in your energy bills and cut down on energy wastage. One of the most effective ways is to grab some energy-efficient appliances. Just because you’re trying to cut down on energy use does not mean you should have to miss out on handy appliances like washing machines, fridge freezers, and dishwashers.
However, some appliances have a reputation for rampant energy consumption. Perhaps none more so than tumble dryers! But, recent innovations have actually helped to make tumble dryers far more efficient than ever. Now, tumble dryers are available in all kinds of forms. Some of the most popular of which are “Heat Pump”, “Vented”, and “Condenser” dryers. But what is the difference between these tumble dryers? Which should you go for? And which will help you to cut down on your energy bills?
Keep reading below, because the Reliant tech experts have put them through their paces. To find out which truly came out on top!
What Are Heat Pump Tumble Dryers?
Of all of the varieties on the market, heat pump tumble dryers are easily the most energy-efficient. This is because they make use of a closed-loop system. The hot air that dries your clothes and removes moisture is recycled during a given cycle. This helps to save massively on energy bills!
Heat pump tumble dryers start by sending plenty of hot air into the drum. The hot air draws the moisture from your laundry and then travels out of the drum. The now humid air then travels down to a special chamber known as the “Evaporator”. Here, the moisture is extracted from the air, leaving behind plenty of water! Once the moisture has been extracted, the remaining air is then reheated, and sent right back into the drum!
Heat pump tumble dryers are incredibly energy efficient. The same hot air is used throughout the entirety of a single cycle. While they might take a little longer to do the job, heat pump tumble dryers are incredibly efficient!
Despite taking slightly longer to get the job done, heat pump tumble dryers are actually more energy efficient! They don’t need to expend loads of energy in generating air or heating it up.
Heat pump tumble dryers also use slightly cooler air to get the job done. While this does mean an average cycle might take a bit longer, it helps to protect more delicate fabrics!
Pros And Cons Of Heat Pump Tumble Dryers
Pros
- Hot air is recycled throughout every cycle. This makes Heat pump tumble dryers incredibly energy efficient.
- Heat pump tumble dryers use slightly cooler air. This is fantastic for caring for more delicate fabrics.
Cons
- An average drying cycle takes a little longer in a heat pump dryer. This may be inconvenient for busy schedules.
- The water tank must be emptied by hand between every cycle.
What Are Vented Tumble Dryers?
Vented tumble dryers are entirely unique because of the fact that they actively drain water during a cycle. Both condenser and heat pump tumble dryers store water in a tank after it has been extracted from the laundry. Between each cycle, the user needs to pull out the water tank and drain the water by hand. Vented tumble dryers, on the other hand, don’t bother to store the water that’s extracted from your clothes. Instead, the steam is sent outside of the home via a hose!
Vented tumble dryers are incredibly common, but they’re a little more difficult to integrate into a home. The reason for this is that they need to be professionally installed. You’ll need to hire a plumber to install a vented tumble dryer. This is because it will need to be able to send steam outside of the home! You might be a little more limited in terms of where you can place a vented tumble dryer, unlike a condenser or heat pump dryer. Those dryers can be installed anywhere as they do not need to drain water!
Vented tumble dryers send the steam from your laundry right out of your home. This means you won’t have to waste any time draining the unit between uses. Convenient for those with busy lifestyles!
Once installed, however, vented tumble dryers are very convenient. There’s no need to drain any of the water by hand, as it is all sent outside of the home in the form of steam!
Pros And Cons Of Vented Tumble Dryers
Pros
- Designed to drain the water from your clothes right after they have been dried. You won’t have to waste time draining one!
- Able to dry your laundry in mere minutes thanks to high air temperature.
Cons
- Need to be professionally installed and plumbed in to ventilate steam from your laundry.
- You may be limited in terms of where you can position a vented tumble dryer.
- Vented tumble dryers consume a lot of electricity not only in drying your laundry but draining all of the water during every cycle!
What Are Condenser Tumble Dryers?
Condenser tumble dryers are mostly prized for their fast operation. A condenser tumble dryer can dry all of your laundry in mere minutes. This makes them incredibly convenient for those with busy lifestyles, or for those that need to dry up plenty of laundry.
Condenser tumble dryers actually operate quite similarly to heat pump tumble dryers. They start by first routing hot air to the drum, to draw the moisture from the laundry. The hot air then brings the moisture to a condenser chamber. Here, the air is condensed, which leaves behind water which is stored in a tank at the bottom of the unit.
Condenser tumble dryers remove the moisture from your clothes using hot air. The moisture is then sent to a condenser chamber where it is condensed into water. The water is stored for later draining!
The remaining air is then sent out of the unit, and new air is drawn in. Unlike heat pump tumble dryers, condenser dryers do not use the same air throughout a cycle. This means that they use more electricity on average. The condensing process also results in a lot of energy usage. An average condenser dryer cycle can consume up to 5.2kWh of electricity, for an average cost of around £1.80 every cycle!
Pros And Cons Of Condenser Tumble Dryers
Pros
- Condenser tumble dryers are incredibly speedy. They use warmer air to do the job, resulting in quicker drying!
- You don’t need to plumb a condenser dryer in. Water is sent to a tank to be emptied by the user!
Cons
- An average cycle will consume far more electricity than a heat pump tumble dryer. This means condenser tumble dryers are incredibly costly to operate.
- Higher air temperatures may be damaging to more delicate fabrics.
Condenser Tumble Dryer vs Heat Pump Dryers vs Vented Dryers
Now that we’re a little clearer on the unique differences between these dryers, it’s time to pit them head-to-head! Let’s take a look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of the different types to see how they fare!
Condenser Tumble Dryers
Pro: Faster Operation
Condenser tumble dryers use much warmer air than heat pump tumble dryers. This allows them to dry laundry in a matter of minutes. They’re fantastic if you’re often on a busy schedule, or you need to dry up a massive backlog of laundry!
However, because they use warmer air, condenser dryers do cost slightly more to use. The high temperatures might also be unsuitable for certain delicate fabrics!
Pro: No Need For Plumbing
Condenser tumble dryers don’t need to be plumbed in at all. Instead, all of the water extracted from your laundry is stored in a tank at the bottom of the unit. It’s then up to the user to drain this tank between every cycle.
Because condenser dryers don’t need to be plumbed in, you can place them just about anywhere!
Con: High Energy Consumption
Unfortunately, in order to generate such high temperatures, and to condense moisture into water, condenser tumble dryers use a lot of electricity.
Condenser tumble dryers are incredibly fast at drying. Unfortunately, in order to work so quickly, they have to consume a lot of electricity. This makes them quite costly to operate!
This means they may not be the best option for any households seeking to cut down on their energy bills!
Con: Not Suitable For All Fabrics
Condenser tumble dryers generate some seriously high temperatures. While this does make them very effective at drying, it also makes them unsuitable for delicate fabrics. Delicate fabrics run the risk of shrinking or otherwise being damaged when subjected to high temperatures.
You will need to be a little more discerning with what you place into a condenser tumble dryer so that nothing gets damaged beyond repair!
Heat Pump Tumble Dryers
Pro: Energy Efficiency
Heat pump tumble dryers are easily the most energy-efficient models on the market. Most tumble dryers, especially condenser tumble dryers, vent out warm air numerous times throughout a cycle. This leads to quite a lot of energy use, as the unit needs to consistently be heating up new air. Heat pump tumble dryers, on the other hand, use the same air throughout the entire cycle.
Once the hot air has travelled through the drum, and the moisture has been extracted beneath the unit, it’s then sent right back into the drum!
The reuse of hot air and the lack of a condenser helps heat pump tumble dryers use a very small amount of electricity!
Pro: Great With Delicate Fabrics
Heat pump tumble dryers also operate at a lower temperature. The air sent into the drum is much cooler, which makes it fantastic for delicate fabrics. Heat pump tumble dryers are great if you need to wash plenty of unique fabrics without putting them at risk.
The lower temperature of the air also helps to lower energy consumption!
Con: A Sizeable Investment
While you might save more in the long run with a heat pump tumble dryer, you will first need to invest in the unit. Unfortunately, heat pump tumble dryers are still a relatively new technology. This means they tend to cost a little more than average.
Luckily, the money you will save on your energy bills will make up for this extra investment in no time at all!
Con: Longer Operation Time
Because heat pump dryers use cooler air than standard dryers, it does mean that they take a little longer to get the job done. Where a condenser tumble dryer might be able to dry your laundry in mere minutes, a heat pump dryer may need to take a few hours.
This might be inconvenient for anyone on a busy schedule, or for anyone who needs to dry a large laundry load!
Vented Tumble Dryers
Pro: Self Draining
Vented tumble dryers are incredibly convenient because they can properly dispose of all of the moisture extracted from your laundry. Instead of expending energy to convert the moisture from your clothes into water, it simply pumps the steam from your clothes outside of your home. This means you don’t have to waste time draining the unit by hand.
Vented tumble dryers are totally different from condenser and heat pump dryers. They don’t require you to drain them by hand. Instead, the steam from your clothes is vented outside of the home.
Vented tumble dryers are great for those with busy lifestyles, as they handle much of the work themselves.
Pro: Energy Efficient
Although they’re not quite as energy efficient as heat pump dryers, vented dryers are very efficient. This is because they don’t need to use any energy to convert moisture into drainable water. Instead, vented tumble dryers simply take moisture from your laundry and dispose of it right away.
Vented tumble dryers are much more efficient than condenser tumble dryers!
Con: Difficult To Install
Unfortunately, unlike heat pump and condenser dryers, vented dryers need to be professionally installed. This is because a hose will need to be fitted to draw the moisture outside of the home. So, you might need to spend a little more to get your vented dryer fully installed.
Vented tumble dryers need to be professionally installed and plumbed. This means you will have to spend a little more to have the unit installed. You’ll also be limited in terms of where you can place the unit!
You’ll also need to find the perfect spot for your vented tumble dryer. You’ll not only need to be sure there is a nearby power supply, but also that the spot is just right to allow for ventilation! This is unlike other dryers, which can simply be placed anywhere in the home, provided there is a power supply.
If you are a renter, then a vented tumble dryer simply may not be viable!
Con: Difficult To Repair
Because vented tumble dryers have more individual pieces, they’re a little more susceptible to breaking down. It’s also much more difficult to repair a damaged vented dryer. In order to repair one, you will need to contact a professional not only to ascertain the issue, but also to ensure the unit is properly ventilating.
Which Is Best: Heat Pump Dryer Or Condenser Dryer?
Now that we’ve taken a look at some of the key benefits and drawbacks of each type of tumble dryer, it’s abundantly clear just how great heat pump dryers are.
Heat pump tumble dryers operate very similarly to condenser tumble dryers, but they’re able to do the job with much greater efficiency. Both types don’t need to be plumbed in, so they’re incredibly convenient for renters, or for those who can’t afford to install a vented dryer in their home. Vented tumble dryers, on the other hand, need to be professionally plumbed. So you will have fewer options in terms of finding the right spot for one!
Heat pump tumble dryers, unlike condenser and vented dryers, only use a fraction of electricity. This is because they make use of a highly efficient closed-loop system. All of the air used to withdraw the moisture from clothes is sent right back into the drum after finishing the job. This means the unit doesn’t have to waste electricity on venting or condensing.
Heat pump tumble dryers are definitely better than others. Though they may cost more and take slightly longer to do the job, they use far less electricity. They’re fantastic for slashing energy bills!
Heat pump tumble dryers are also excellent at caring for your more delicate fabrics. The lower internal temperature of the unit ensures that all of your fabrics are cared for.
While a heat pump tumble dryer might take a little longer to get the job done, and while they might cost a little more to access, they’re a fantastic investment in the future. A heat pump tumble dryer can save you countless pounds on your energy bills, and lower energy consumption is also great for the planet! Win-win!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Heat Pump Dryers?
Heat pump dryers are distinct because of their use of a closed-loop system. The hot air that removes the moisture from your laundry is reused constantly throughout the drying cycle! Heat pump dryers, as a result, consume far less electricity. They’re fantastic in a modern world of ever-climbing energy bills.
Do Heat Pump Dryers Need To Be Plumbed In?
No. Heat pump dryers do not need to be plumbed in. This is because they do not drain water. Instead, water extracted from your laundry is stored in a tank. It is then up to the user to empty the tank between cycles. This makes them a very convenient option for renters, as you can simply plug a heat pump dryer in and start using it!
Do Heat Pump Dryers Make The Room Hot?
The air and water in a heat pump dryer are not vented. This means that the unit itself will heat up slightly in operation. Over time, this could lead to a slight increase in room temperature. Luckily, because the warm air in a heat pump dryer is recycled throughout a drying cycle, much of the heat is kept trapped in the unit!
Is A Heat Pump Better Than A Condenser?
Unfortunately, condensers use a lot of electricity. In order to create drainable water, condensers quite literally have to condense the moisture in the tumble dryer’s air to create water. This uses up a hefty amount of electricity. Heat pump tumble dryers instead use an evaporator to remove moisture from the hot air. This leaves hot air behind, ready to be used again! This makes them incredibly energy efficient!
Is Heat Pump Better Than Vented?
Absolutely. Heat pump dryers are easily the most energy-efficient option on the market. They make use of the same hot air throughout the entirety of a cycle, which cuts down on energy usage massively! The only advantage that vented tumble dryers have is that they don’t need to be drained by hand. Instead, the moisture from your clothes is vented right outside of the home!
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