Heat Pump

What is the Most Energy Efficient Clothes Dryer?

The Top Energy Star Rated Dryer And 4 Others That Come Close!

We're back at it again, looking to find the most energy-efficient appliances for your home! This time we're looking at your dryer and seeing what we can come up with. We'll walk through the different types of dryers first, then what makes them efficient, followed by five of the most energy-efficient dryers on the market for 2022, and wrap up with tips for purchasing a new dryer or making your current one more efficient. 



Categories of Dryer 

Vented Dryers

Vented Dryers can be broken down into either gas or electric dryers, with both types working mostly the same.  Both contain a heating element that raises the temperature of the air inside the dryer drum. The moisture that then evaporates from the clothes is vented out through aluminum ducts. 



Ventless Dryers 

These dryers are better for smaller spaces like apartments and tiny homes. Instead of having built-in ducts, They contain all of the heat and moisture inside of the machine. The water can be drained out of a reservoir later and should be done between loads for best use. 



Condenser

A condenser dryer is different from both of the previous models in that it pumps out the water.  It starts by pulling air in from outside the machine and over the heating elements, which then gets pumped into the drum of the dryer. The air is then pulled back out as cooled air, which gets condensed further into water and is pumped out. This process is repeated until the end of the process. 



Heat Pump Condenser

Our final variety of dryer is a heat pump condenser. These are even more efficient than any of the previous options using about 1/2 of the energy that they require.  A heat pump condenser is different because it uses a refrigerant system with both hot and cold coils. Instead of consistently drawing in air the way a condenser does, it keeps the air internal and constantly heats and cools It as needed to remove moisture from the air.  That water is then drained into a holding tank in the dryer that you empty as needed. 



For people who wash a lot of laundry and have high electricity rates, a heat pump condenser is a great choice because of how energy efficient it is. 



Ratings according to Energy Star 

How do you tell, though, when something is efficient vs. when it's not? When it comes to clothes dryers, you're going to be looking at a term we've seen in one of our other articles, Combined Energy Factor. CEF is a measure of energy efficiency based on a couple of different factors, which, combined together, show how much the dryer is going to be affecting your energy bill. The higher the CEF, the more efficient the dryer is. 

 

Top 5 Energy-Efficient Dryers According to Energy Star for 2022

1- Beko - HPD24414W 

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF)Field details:11.0

Drum Capacity (cu-ft):4.5

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr):217

Optisense Technology

Internal smart sensors allow you to choose how dry you want your clothes and will stop the dryer when that level of dryness is detected

16 Programs

Unique drying cycles that include: Permanent Press, Delicates, Gentle Care, Express 45, Wools, Jeans, Silent, Super Quick 30, and even Baby Sanitize




2- Blomberg - DHP24404W

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 11.0

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 4.5

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 217

Anti-Creasing Option

The gentle drum action of a Blomberg dryer separates and smooths out individual garments as they dry, so when the cycle finishes clothes come out wrinkle-free and ready to wear. 

Gentle Care

Blomberg's closed loop heat exchange system means the heat pump dryers use a circulating air temperature that is consistently 40 percent lower than conventional dryers. This gentle care helps keep all fabrics-even woolens-at their best and extend garment.

Quick Drying

An 8.45 lb. load will dry in less than one hour. They also save your clothes. Faster drying and cooler temperatures reduce friction and shrinkage for clothes that look their best and last longer.

Direct Draining

A calibrated water-level sensor identifies any deviation from the correct water level in the tank and automatically starts draining if the level is exceeded.

16 Drying Cycles

Choose between Automatic Regular/Delicate Cycle, Automatic Perm Press/Knits Cycle, and Air Fluff / no heat.






3- Miele - PDR908 HP 

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 9.75

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 4.6

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 245

Honeycomb Drum

Less folding, easy finishing: Laundry is dried very gently and evenly in the honeycomb drum.

PerfectDry System

The Miele PerfectDry system dries garments perfectly.

Intelligent Dryers

Gentle and uniform drying thanks to intelligent technology.

Short Program Cycles

Premium commercial technology allows you to benefit from the shortest program cycles.






4- Asko - T411HS.W.U 

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 9.1

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 4.9

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 263

Butterfly™ Drying System

The two paddles inside the machine gently push the clothing in a figure eight, to spread the garments out and allow air to circulate through them evenly.

Soft Drum™ Technology

The new drum design enhances airflow around the load, thereby increasing the drying effect and allowing for even and gentle drying with both small and large loads.

Air Lift™ Paddles

The Air Lift™ paddles are designed to lift the load as high as possible for increased time in the air flow to enhance the drying effect and shorten the drying time while preventing them from bundling.

Multi Filter System™

This is a filter system of five different filters that ensures that all lint and even smaller particles are trapped before they reach the sensitive inner parts of the tumble dryer.

Lint Trap™

The Lint Trap™ is placed in the door and is designed to be easy to empty and clean.

16 Programs

This dryer comes with 16 drying programs to choose from - Auto Extra Dry, Auto Dry, Auto Normal Dry, Auto Iron Dry, Jeans, Synthetic, Terry, Down, Bedding, Silk/Wool, Shirts, Steam Wrinkle Care, Steam Refresh, Quick Pro, Time, and Airing.

Drying Sensor

ASKO dryers with a sensor system will dry your clothes in the shortest possible time and with lowest possible energy consumption.

Steam Wrinkle Care

Repetitive steam injections and heat treatment to eliminate creases in the fabric. Low heat is used to also cater for sensitive fabrics.

Quick Pro Cycle

With this program, you can get your wash completely dry in less than an hour.

Mesh Filter

This filter traps slightly smaller particles than the Lint Trap™ and is automatically cleaned with water.

Foam Filter

As a final step before the air hits the condenser, the foam filter traps the

smallest dust particles.

Lint Cup

Models with a steam function have an additional small filter, the Lint Cup, that protects the steam generator from lint and dust.

65 dB(A) noise level

LCD display

Interior light

Remaining time and program end indicator








5- Samsung - DV53BB89**H*

Electric Standard Ventless - Heat Pump 

Combined Energy Factor (CEF): 8.5

Drum Capacity (cu-ft): 7.8

Estimated Annual Energy Use (kWh/yr): 281

AI Optimal Dry

Automatically chooses the best settings based on what you're drying

Super Speed Dry

Dry a full load in just 30 minutes and achieve a complete wash and dry in under an hour with an added Super Speed Washer

MultiControl™

Eliminate the long reach and operate your dryer right from your washer when the units are stacked

AI Smart Dial

Simplifies your dryer's control panel, learns and recommends your favorite cycles, and allows you to customize your cycle list, making laundry day a breeze

20 Dry Cycles

More cycles to cover almost every washing need for your active family

Sensor Dry

Automatically optimizes the time and temperature of your drying cycle to protect your clothes from heat damage while avoiding excess energy use.

Steam Sanitize+

Samsung Steam Sanitize+ cycle removes 95% of pollen from fabric, while Multi-Steam refreshes clothing and relaxes light wrinkles.

Wrinkle Prevent

It prevents clothes from getting wrinkled

Vent Sensor

Continuously monitors the condition of your dryer's air duct to make sure it's running safely and efficiently.

Drying Rack

The included drying rack provides a perfect place to dry delicate items, sweaters, and footwear gently.



As you can tell, all of these are Heat Pump, ventless, electric-powered dryers. The reason for this is that currently, those are the most efficient and effective models on the market. 


Tips for Energy-Efficient Dryers

If you're looking at buying a new dryer, look for one with these features: 

Sensors to Detect When Clothes Are Dry -Just what it says on the tin. If you make sure that the dryer is no longer running when the clothes are dry, you’re saving energy as well as saving your clothes from additional wear and tear.

Delayed Start- Make use of any time based discounts for energy in your area with a delayed start on your dryer.

Steam Cycle- This helps save you time on ironing or re-running the clothes to prevent or remove wrinkles.

Steam Cycles - Many ENERGY STAR dryers also include convenient features, such as a steam cycle that can help save time on ironing clothes by preventing wrinkles. 








If however you're looking to make the one, you already have more efficient, try these tips: 

-Dry your loads back to back.  Doing this means that the dryer doesn't have to heat up as much by comparison to letting it cool in between. 

- Separate out your lights and your heavier materials. If your dryer already has a sensor for when something is done, this is more effective. The point, though is that your lighter clothes (socks, pajamas, t-shirts etc) are going to dry much more quickly than your heavy materials like sheets, towels, & denims. Save yourself time and energy by separating them so that when you're waiting for a load to dry it's because everything is still drying, not just one or two items. 

-Don't overload the dryer.  If the clothes don't have a way to tumble around and have air circulating, then it's much harder for them to dry.  

-Make sure your dryer vent is regularly cleaned if you have one. Much like in our last tip, if the air cannot get out, the dryer has to work harder, and your electric bill is going to go higher. 








And that is our top five most energy-efficient dryers available on the market as of right now. What did you think? Were you helped more by the new dryers or the tips for improving your current dryer?  Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page! As always, we love to hear from you. 








If you're not looking to replace your dryer, it's just making weird rattling noises, we can help. You can reach out to us at ((214) 599-0055) or on our contact page. Wherever you live in the Dallas Metro area, we will work with you. At Appliance Rescue Service, our top goal is to get your home running smoothly again.  From Addison to Frisco, we're here for you. 









What You Want to Know About Heat Pump Dryers

Back when we were doing our Deep Dive on Dryers, we mentioned a type of dryer that many of our readers weren't familiar with, the Heat Pump Dryer. People had no idea what we were talking about, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it means we get to introduce you to something new.  This week we're taking a closer look at this interesting dryer type and seeing if they can fit into your home. 

What Is A Heat Pump Dryer?

A heat pump dryer is a dryer that works on a closed loop. It draws air in, heats it for drying the clothes, and pushes that into the drum. 

Once the air has become full of moisture from the clothes, it's filtered for lint and pushed into an evaporator to cool and have the water drawn off. That evaporator system heats up on the outside though and that heat is reused to heat the now cool, dry air.  That air then goes back into the drum to start the process all over. 

The water that was drawn out of the air is pumped out through the same drain that your washer uses, which means that you don't have to worry about emptying a collection reservoir or anything. 

A diagram showing how a heat pump dryer works to draw in air, heat it, remove water from it using a condenser and then put the air back into the dryer

How is A Heat Pump Dryer Different?

The two biggest differences to your usual dryer are tied together, the vent or ducting and how the air is used. On a standard electric or gas dryer the air comes in, it gets heated by a coil or a flame and then is pumped into the drum. When the air becomes saturated with moisture that's pumped back out, into the vents and pushed outside of your home. This has led to all sorts of problems that we've talked about before for vents becoming clogged and full of lint. Because the heat pump dryer reuses the air over and over, that external vent isn't needed. There is some loss of air, but not enough that it needs a separate duct to go outside of your home.  

A heat pump dryer is also considerably more energy efficient than your standard dryer since the air is used over and over and the different steps serve multiple purposes at the same time. 

A heat pump dryer also works at a lower temperature, which means that it's easier on your clothes as it runs. 

What do I Need to Know Before Installing A Heat Pump Dryer? 

- They Do Cost More

As of right now a heat pump dryer does cost more. Because this design of dryer is relatively new by comparison to electric and gas dryers, they're still more expensive to purchase. However, since you end up saving on your electricity bill, that does weigh against the initial cost. 

-They Do Have A Smaller Capacity

Because of all the different pieces that go into making the dryer run, there's less space for the drum. So for the time being, most heat pump dryers are more 'compact' in terms of how much they can handle. So no, if you've got a large or active family, we wouldn't suggest getting this. 

- You Can Stack Them

Yup! If you're short on space, or you want to make it easier to get things in and out of your dryer, you can get a stacking kit for your heat pump dryer. 

-What About Wall Mounting A Heat Pump Dryer? 

Sadly, no. Because of how much a heat pump dryer weighs, you can't attach them to a wall. Even with brackets, they're too heavy to stay safely suspended. 

-What Are Some Brands That Make Heat Pump Dryers? 

Some of the brands that you can find a Heat Pump Dryer with are: LG, Miele, Whirlpool, Beko, Samsung and Bosch.

-Is There Anywhere I Can't Install A Heat Pump Dryer? 

Yes. As of right now, you cannot install one on the moon or in sitting pools of water. Jokes aside though, we would avoid areas that you know are cracked, uneven or prone to flooding. You'll also want to make sure that the electrical outlet is a high enough voltage that it can handle the power draw. Although as we've said the Heat Pump Dryers are very efficient, they are still going to draw more energy than what a standard outlet can provide. 


With all of that in mind, what's next? Do you think you'll end up getting a heat pump dryer for your home? Why or why not? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 


If you ended up here because you already have a heat pump dryer and it's on the fritz, no worries! We can still help. Just give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or reach out to us over on our contact page to set up an appointment. No matter which of your appliances is acting up, we'll be happy to work with you to get your home running smoothly again. 


Additional Reading: 

Dryer Deep Dive

6 Things Your Should Never Put In Your Dryer

Why You Need To Clean Your Dryer Vent 

9 Things Your Dryer Hates

9 Electric Dryers At 3 Different Price Points