People always shun dryers because of how expensive they supposedly.
However, for one person living alone doing one load a week would the extra cost associated with them be unreasonable?
Tumble Dryers - Are They Expensive to Run?
RolandWaites on 24/07/2017 - 00:05
Last edited 24/07/2017 - 10:41 by 1 other user
Last edited 24/07/2017 - 10:41 by 1 other user
Comments
How long is a piece of string? Is it unreasonable to pay $150 per quarter to run the dishwasher or should i wash dishes every night?
On a side note aiming a 40cm fan at a clothes on a clothes hanger, in a bathroom with the extraction fan on, works pretty well if you have a day.
Well OK it won't work if the humidity is above 50%.
I'll shut up now.
A piece of string could also be used as a clothes line, if long enough
Good idea on the fan. BTW a dishwasher is usually cheaper to run then doing your own dishes
*than
I would say, just use the dryer. If you are living alone, a large part of your electric bill would be "daily charge" as opposed to "usage charge". Therefore, you shouldn't feel the pinch at all.
Exactly.
I live alone and bought a Dryer. I use it all the time. Was a really good decision because my electricity use went up, but the cost really didn't.
However, I saved a ton of time and convenience of having clothes pre-ironed (in a sense).
I got it from Masters (the Bunnings competitor) before they closed down for $200 brand new.Also, Winter is Here, and it helps heat up the house.
No mould/mildew?
No, just a lot of lint.
Saving them up to make a pillow OzBargain style.
It costs about 80 cents to $1 to dry a small load of clothes.
You can decide whether that is reasonable for you.
It depends on your electricity tariff and the duration of the cycle. Look at your electricity bill, let's say you are paying 20c for a kWh (that's using 1000 watts over 1 hour). A dryer will use up to 2400 watts (10 amps, the maximum an appliance will draw from a standard power point). Assuming you don't overload the drum and allow the clothes to actually tumble, you should be able to dry them in an hour. Sometimes 90 minutes for stubborn or very absorbent loads like towels.
So 1 hour should cost 48c.
Personally I use appliances after midnight when the tariff is half price for me (I'm on a time-of-use). Either that or I use any excess power my solar panels generate at midday — I'd prefer putting it towards half the daytime cost than feeding it into the grid at 2c per kwh!
Depends a lot on the type of dryer too, the modern higher spec dryers use far less energy.
It depends on how much your time is worth to you.
Are you standing next to the clothes holding a heater? The time saved for me personally would be the extra few minutes to hang stuff up versus chucking it into a machine. But the drying time for both doesn't involve me….
It takes time to hang clothes to dry. It also takes time to take them down. Have you never had to go home before the sun sets or race home before the rain comes? Like I said… a machine saves time.
I hang mine all inside so I just leave it for days. Got enough clothes and am organised enough to never run out of anything. Yes a dryer saves time… but not money nor electricity.
It would cost less than using the car wash once a week.
That's a whole other kettle of fish…
At What Stage Can You Use a Tumble Dryer Financially?
More importantly,
At what stage do we think eating breakfast can be considered financially reasonable?
one load a week would the extra cost associated with them be unreasonable?
One load a week? Not at all. Just do it.
It is unreasonable to pay to have your clothes dried when they will dry themselves for free.
Define "unreasonable". For Bill Gates buying a Lambo to drive once per year isn't "unreasonable".
Dryers obviously have an upfront and then ongoing cost associated with them compared to hanging out your clothes to dry, it's entirely up to you if that cost is worthwhile.