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Which type of tumble dryers are cheapest to run?
With energy prices high and appliance prices remaining stable for now, recouping the higher purchase price of a heat pump tumble dryer with hugely reduced energy use will take much less time than ever before.
The latest forecast predicts typical energy bills in England, Scotland and Wales to be £1,690 this year. And using an energy-hungry vented or condenser tumble dryer could make up more than £127 of this, while an energy-saving heat pump dryer would only cost around £51.
This means that if you go for a heat pump dryer such as the Beko DTIKP71131W (£479) after less than two years of ownership the savings made in energy costs will offset the higher purchase price in comparison to the cheaper vented Candy CSE V9LF-80 (£269).
Go to our tumble dryer reviews to compare more than 130 tumble dryers tested in our labs
How expensive are tumble dryers to run?
For all of their indisputable energy-saving claims, heat pump tumble dryers can be expensive appliances to buy.
You can pick up an affordable heat pump dryer for around £350, but most cost more than £550 and top of the range models can be more than £1,000.
However, they do cost significantly less to run than conventional condenser dryers or vented models, and over time the savings made in reduced energy costs will more than offset the higher purchase price.
We’ve compared the purchase price and running costs of two recently tested vented and condenser tumble dryers with those of an affordable and a more expensive heat pump dryer to show how long you’ll need to wait to reap the benefit of owning one.
The vented Candy CSE V9LF-80 is on sale for £269 and costs £145 per year to run, while the Hotpoint H2D81WUK condenser is priced at £311 and costs £117 per year to use.
But the heat pump Beko DTIKP71131W costs £479 to buy and just £52 per year to run, and the heat pump John Lewis tumble dryer is £599 to buy and costs £53 per year to run.
This table shows how over time the tumble dryers with a cheaper up-front cost will work out to be more expensive to run.
| Model | Typ | Purchase price | Annual energy costs | Total costs year one | Total costs year two | Total costs year three | Total costs year four | Total costs year five | Total costs year six |
| Candy CSE V9LF-80 | Vented | £269 | £145 | £414 | £559 | £704 | £849 | £994 | £1,139 |
| Hotpoint H2D81WUK | Condenser | £311 | £117 | £428 | £545 | £662 | £779 | £896 | £1,013 |
| Beko DTIKP71131W | Heat pump | £479 | £52 | £531 | £583 | £635 | £687 | £739 | £791 |
| John Lewis JLTDH17 | Heat pump | £599 | £53 | £652 | £705 | £758 | £811 | £864 | £917 |
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Candy CSE V9LF-80 vented tumble dryer (£269)
Annual running costs - £145
With energy costs of £145 per year, this isn’t an energy efficient tumble dryer, however the £269 price tag is appealing.
But in just over two years the combined price and lower running costs of the Beko DTIKP71131W will be less than that of the Candy. Over six years the vented Candy machine’s overall cost will be £348 more than the Beko heat pump and £222 more than the more expensive John Lewis machine.
Read our full review of this Candy CSE V9LF-80 vented dryer to see how well it dries your clothes.
Hotpoint H2D81WUK condenser tumble dryer (£311)
Annual running costs - £117
Another affordably-priced tumble dryer, this time a condenser model, but with typically high running costs of £117 per year.
In less than three years, the total cost of buying and using it will be almost identical to that of the energy-saving Beko. And after six years the Hotpoint will have cost you £222 more to run than the Beko and £96 more than the John Lewis, both heat pump machines.
Here’s our review of this Hotpoint H2D81WUK condenser dryer which reveals all of our test results.
John Lewis JLTDH17 heat pump tumble dryer (£599)
Annual running costs - £53
You’ll find many heat pump tumble dryers selling at around this price, so buying one isn’t always an immediately affordable thing to do.
But with annual running costs that are £64 cheaper than the Hotpoint and £92 cheaper each year compared to the Candy, you’ll start reaping the energy saving benefit at around the four-year mark, in comparison to the cheaper machines.
Find out more about this model with our review of this John Lewis JLTDH17 heat pump dryer.
Beko DTIKP71131W heat pump dryer (£479)
Annual running costs - £52
Heat pump tumble dryers are rarely more affordable than this Beko and it’s reassuringly cheap to run, too.
A year’s worth of drying will cost just £52, making it £93 cheaper to run per year than the Candy and £65 cheaper than the Hotpoint.
Learn more about how well it dries clothes drying performance with our full review of this Beko DTIKP71131W heat pump dryer.
Tumble dryers have a long life span
Tumble dryers are one of the more reliable kitchen appliances and in our most recent survey we found that for the most reliable brand of tumble dryer only one in 20 developed a fault in the first seven years of ownership.
So, don’t worry about it sometimes taking a few years for a heat pump dryer to start paying its way with lower energy bills.
The likelihood is that it will still be working for many years after you break even in terms of energy savings, especially if you go for a very reliable brand.
Read up on the best tumble dryer brands and find out which have the fewest faults.
How to dry clothes without using energy
Using a clothes airer for some of your washing is a cheap and energy-free way of drying clothes. And placing the airer in the naturally warmest place in your home (south facing, upstairs room and near a window ideally) will speed up the air-drying process, especially on a hot day.
If you’d like to cut the cost of drying but still need to use your dryer, remove a few items that don’t need to be dried quickly. Allowing them to air dry reduces the time it takes to dry the rest of the load. And this could also help your clothes, too.
Some garments, such as jeans and woolly jumpers, can shrink in the fierce heat of a tumble dryer’s drum. So, if you want to maintain the fit of your best pair of Levi’s or Merino wool cardigan, hang them on an airer or the washing line and let them dry naturally.
Our experts have tested tumble dryers, including one with a ‘no shrinkage guarantee’, to see if they can be trusted with even dryer-safe woollens.
Finally, if you are lucky enough to have some outside space to dry clothes, you might want to consider your dryer as an autumn and winter appliance, when air drying clothes takes longer and it’s too cold and wet to line dry with any confidence. And it will always be there for those emergencies when air drying just won’t do.
For more cost-conscious ways to dry your clothes in winter, read our guide to the best and cheapest ways to dry clothes indoors.
Find an energy-efficient tumble dryer with our pick of the best Eco Buy tumble dryers.
