Trying to decide b/w Gas Dryer vs. Heat Pump Dryer

[GoCubsGo]

My electric bills are super high compared to my neighbors, I've gotten a new A/C unit, changed all my bulbs, insulated attic, etc.  I think I know the culprit.  We do roughly 8-10 loads of laundry/week and my electric dryer is from the 1970's.  Basically it's like running 20 hair dryers at once 10 hours a week.  Soooo... I was going to pay to have a gas line run to the dryer (lines are already in the basement).  I have a free gas dryer as well.

I then read about how efficient "heat pump" style dryers are (I think they are common in europe).  They require no exhaust but tend to take longer to dry from what I read.  Anyone have experience with these?

The heat pump dryer would cost roughly $950 vs $250 to run the gas line.  Not sure how long it would take to pay back that difference and if the pain of waiting for longer dry times is worth the savings.

Thoughts?

[bacchi]

Know what's even cheaper? Two poles and a line between them.

What's the longevity of a heat pump vs gas dryer?

[Sibley]

So, you're on this forum asking if you should spend:

A. $250 for a new dryer
B. $950 for a new dryer (of a different type)
C. $10 (estimated) for a clothesline.

Your answer is A or C.

Edit: And you do 8-10 loads of laundry a week? How many kids do you have? That's insane.

[saveysavesalot]

I'm going to echo Sibley's comments and offer some reading material- this has been discussed before.

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/12/30/are-you-cleaning-out-your-own-wallet/

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/06/27/my-new-1000-annual-return-on-investment-clothes-dryer/

[EricEng]

Heat pump will be about half the cost of your electric dryer.  Electric dryer is usually $.35-55  per run depending on local electrical cost.  Heat pump should be $.25-40 per run (depends on outdoor temp).  Gas will be slightly cheaper than heat pump for most areas.

10 loads week * 52 weeks * $.20 savings = $100.40/annual savings.  So you might break even in 9 years ignoring opportunity cost of the money spent upfront.

I'd go with the gas when the electric fails.  Doesn't matter how old an electric dyer is, electricity is always 100% efficient for heat.  Better question is why so many loads?  Do you wash your towels after every shower?  Wash sheets multiple times a week?

[chemistk]

Yeah I'll put another vote in for A or C here.

We have a number of clothes racks in our basement that we use to dry probably 50% of all our laundry. Plus a clothesline outdoors if the weather is nice - bonus because we can move all the clothes racks outside and dry 80% of our clothes on the line.

A lot of garment types will simply last longer if you don't dry them in a dryer - jeans, dress shirts, sweaters, etc. Clothes dryers are so harsh on your clothes (think of the 'lint' in the trap - that's your clothes disintegrating).

It's pretty silly to not take advantage of the ability to line-dry stuff you don't need immediately. Even if you don't have a basement you can still get a clothes rack and take some work away from the dryer.

That being said, we do have a gas dryer (came with the place we're renting) and holy crap is it efficient. Electric dryers take some time to come up to temperature, and obviously a lot of juice to run. The gas dryer fires up instantly, takes way shorter than an equivalent electric, and costs pennies per load in natural gas (plus a small amount of electricity). 

[Papa bear]

I have a heat pump hot water tank. Some things to consider:


1) the heat pump will pull heat from your basement.  It will take the air temp down a few degrees.  If you have any living space down there, accommodate for that.

2) it can pull moisture from the air. Usually a good thing in a basement!

3) they don’t need vented, but they do need to have a condensate line run from them.  The water from your clothes and from transferring heat needs to go somewhere.  You need to either pipe it to a floor drain, to a sump pit, or pump it up to your dwv plumbing. 

You may want to try cleaning your current dryer inside, lint trap, exhaust hose, and the exit point from the property before buying a new one. Lint, dust, dirt, rust, etc can all reduce your dryer’s ability to dry and increase run times. 

I would take option D. Clean your dryer, see if that helps. Heat pump dryer would be my last option, given the costs, unless the “negatives” are actually positive side effects for you. Then it may be worth considering.  But man, they are pricey here.  A new electric dryer can be had under $300.  A used one on Facebook or Craigslist? Under 100.  Like someone said upthread, the electricity to heat conversion is as close to 100% efficient as you can get.  A new one doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to save you a ton of money. 

Gas, while it can be cheaper (and I like heating with gas way more than electricity) also comes with side effects.  You need to plumb a new line in, and it does create carbon monoxide during combustion.   You have to be more diligent about making sure it exhausts correctly. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk