Energy-saving appliances Energy-saving tumble dryers
Choose an A-rated tumble dryer to save energy and money
A cheap tumble dryer may look like a bargain. But with annual running costs varying from £39 to £139, that 'great deal' could turn into an energy-bill nightmare.
Which? tests dozens of tumble dryers every year and each model gets a rating for energy efficiency. We also provide an estimate of how much it will add to your energy bills – vital information you won’t find in the shops.
Currently we’ve got independent reviews for more than 85 tumble dryers. Models that dry items evenly and quickly can become Best Buys – you can find out which these are by checking out our Best Buy tumble dryer reviews.
Top energy-saving tumble dryers
Our top energy-saving models include electric vented and condenser tumble dryers, heat pump dryers and gas vented models.
We've awarded our Energy Saver logo to a small number of tumble dryers that dry clothes quickly and use a small amount of electricity compared with other models on the market.
Use our tumble dryer compare features and prices tool and click on the Energy Saver tick box to find out which models can both cut your energy bills and deliver quick, dry laundry.
The table below reveals some of our Energy Saver tumble dryers. If you're new to Which? you can sign up for a £1 trial to unlock the table and get access to our independent reviews and expert buying advice.
| Energy-saving Best Buy tumble dryers | ||
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| Model | Type | Why we rate it |
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Tumble dryer running costs
Tumble dryer running costs can be anywhere between £39 and £139 a year – click on the ‘full specification’ tab found at the top and bottom of every tumble dryer review to reveal how much you'll be adding to your energy bill.
Alternatively, you can use our tumble dryer energy cost calculator tool. Our cost calculator makes it easy to compare different machines. It shows that, in some cases, a more expensive model that's more energy efficient will cost less to own in the long run than a cheaper model that uses more energy.
Energy-saving tumble dryer features
A-rated tumble dryers use the lowest amount of energy and are the most cost-efficient electric dryers to use.
For top tips on how to use your tumble dryer in the most efficient way, check out our energy-saving tumble dryer video.
Heat pump technology
Heat pump technology works like 'a fridge in reverse', reusing the heat from the extracted damp air to heat the drum. By reusing the heat, heat pump dryers reduce the amount of energy needed to dry clothes and cut the cost of drying.
Currently heat pump tumble dryers are rare and tend to be quite expensive. But they cost little to run and, with more companies investing in this technology, we hope prices will start to fall.
Gas tumble dryers
Gas is a cheaper fuel than electricity, making gas-powered dryers a good energy-saving alternative to a standard electric tumble dryer. However, they can cost around £200 - £300 to install as they require a Gas Safe-registered engineer to put them in.
- Choose the best dryer for you with our tumble dryers reviews
- Watch our video for energy-saving tumble drying tips
- Could you switch energy suppliers to save? Compare gas and electric
