How much does a Clothes dryer cost to run?

Korvanica

On average per load?

Also if anyone knows the average price of a unit of electricity that'd be great!!

Mike2006

Most dryers are somewhere around 4kW.

If your cycle takes 1.5 hrs then the cost to you is - €1.02
If your cycle takes 2 hrs then the cost to you is - €1.36

Mike.

Korvanica

Deadly, thanks a million!

leex

We have a fairly new Electrolux condensor and it is 2.35kw with some feature in it that detects the dampness in the air inside drier so it stops once clothes are dry. I have a plug in power meter I use the odd time on various appliances to check consumption and as far as I remember it costs around 50c per load to dry.

Solair

Most European domestic tumble dryers draw about 2.5kW to 3kW.
(3kW is about the upper limit of a plugged-in appliance, anything larger than that could not be connected using a normal plug and socket)

Depending on the age of your dryer, and on how it operates, there can be enormous differences in power consumption.

Some condensor dryers are surprisingly less efficient than vented models as they take a lot longer to complete the cycle. Although, on a cold day, the waste heat does go into your house to heat the room.

Sensor dryers are often much more efficient as they stop the drying cycle as soon as the clothes are dry, where as cheaper/older machines often run unnecessarily.

If you are looking at really cutting your bills down, consider getting a heat-pump dryer. These are a much bigger outlay, but they do genuinely reduce your power consumption.

These are a bit like an air conditioner crossed with a condensor dryer.

We got this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_HARwqLBhAk (Bosch demo video that explains everything) it's in German but it explains how it works!

I'd say it cut our electricity bill by about 30% or more!

Also, you're usually better off getting a good quality, high end vented dryer than a low end condensor which might cost a similar price. Traditional vented dryers are usually FAR faster and in general more efficient. Condenser dryers are being pushed for some reason, but they're generally not a great solution unless you've no choice but to use one i.e. you do not have any option to vent the dryer outside.

Also, the bigger the dryer's drum the faster the clothes dry as you will get more air circulation.

There are other factors too e.g. some of the higher end dryers seem to manage to move much more air through the clothes so you get cheaper bills and your clothes come out much less frazzled.

Basically to calculate the price:

(Drying time for a load)x(kW)x(price of a unit of electricity)

Change any of those variables and the price can vary enormously.

We did a huge amount of research to cut down our very hefty ESB and gas bills

LED light, new dryer, upgraded the hob to induction, new heating controls etc etc

Made BIG difference!

cynder

if you go on the the esb site there should be a calculator, i use the dryer 6 times a week and that works out at around 30€ for 2 months.

lomb

Gas tumble dries can be had for a few hundred and cost less than half closer to a third to run