^^^ Good point! I've found that with a good-spinning washer, hanging the clothes in a room with a ceiling fan can dry them almost as quickly as a dryer! At a tiny fraction of the energy cost. I would bet my ceiling fans use no more than 20W, while the dryer probably uses 1000-2000W. For heavy items like towels or bedspreads, a fluff and second spin can eliminate a second dryer cycle that might be needed.
I do hang most of my clothes, as it is so much easier on them, as well as less costly. Dryers really destroy clothing, the hotter the worse. I only use the high heat for towels and sheets.
zolo, all good points about classic Speed Queen vs. modern front loaders, worth thinking about. Some top loaders do spin really well, but though to the touch they feel like they dry as well they don't with respect to drying time. I've tested this!
And while I do think front loaders clean better, top loaders deal better with loose dirt like mud, sand, big food goobers, etc., which their copious amounts of water can better drain away. Also, if you need to use a lot of Oxy-Clean, etc., which takes a ridiculous amount of water to rinse out completely.
But the original question was about efficiency and quiet, where top-loaders aren't even in the running.