Clothes dryers are one of the biggest energy hogs in every household. Not only do they have a large heating element and run a long time, they also pump hot air out of your house via the vent.
Our house is so tight that when we run the clothes dryer it often sucks cold air down the chimney.
After installing a rooftop solar system on the house we became very aware of exactly how much energy the clothes dryer uses. Flip it on and suddenly just about every bit of energy produced by the solar panels got sucked up by the dryer.
We hang clothes on the line as much as possible but in the middle of winter, it’s not very practical. What’s the solution? A gas-powered dryer? No thanks, we are looking to reduce our fossil fuel addiction and lower our carbon footprint. Besides, gas prices keep rising and we have nice clean, greenhouse gas-free energy via our rooftop solar panels.
A better solution is a heat pump clothes dryer. We already have a heat pump mini split air unit that provides air conditioning in the summer and heat in the shoulder seasons. When I flip it on, it barely registers on the electrical system so I know the technology is highly efficient.
Heat pump clothes dryers use about 50% less energy than electric clothes dryers and are ventless. They are used throughout Europe for years. Heat pump clothes dryers use the ambient air in your home.
In small spaces, you can even get a combination of heat pump washers and driers. I’ve seen these in London. Instead of a dishwasher in the kitchen, the apartment might have one of these compact washer/dryer units.