Most people are probably aware that using a tumble dryer can increase electricity bills by quite a lot – but just how much is the cost of using a tumble dryer to dry an average load of clothes ?
Using a tumble dryer can cost anything between about €2 and 60 cents to dry an average load of clothes.
A C rated 8kg tumble dryer will use around 585kWh/year or almost 5 kWh per load.
An A++ rated 8kg heat pump tumble dryer will use 230 kWh/year based on the official rating standard – that is less than 2kWh per load.
This would represent a saving of almost €80 a year in running costs on average, meaning that for homes that do a lot of drying, paying more for an efficient dryer makes sense.
Of course, using the washing line is much cheaper again.
The actual energy usage and cost of using your dryer will depend on what energy rating it has.
We looked at a small selection of currently available tumble dryers and compared their electricity usage
( If you have a tumble dryer older than 6 years it is very likely to be using even more electricity than the examples given below.)
We calculated the electricity costs using the current standard electricity unit rate charged by Electric Ireland of 43.27c per kWh inclusive of VAT. (Aug 2023 .) Lower unit rates may be available from other suppliers.
(See Cheapest Electricity Providers ).
The tumble dryer with the most expensive running cost in our survey uses more than three times the electricity per year than the best performing one. The best-performing tumble dryers will usually cost more to buy than the poorer-performing ones – but over the lifetime of the dryer you can recoup the extra costs with the savings in electricity bills. (And help save the planet !)
Tumble Dryer Running Costs Compared
| Tumble Dryer Model | Cost per Load | Annual Electricity Cost € | Energy Rating | Typical Purchase Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch Serie 4 WTN85280GB | 192c | €242 | B | €599 |
| LOGIK LCD8W18 | 188c | €237 | B | €275 |
| BEKO B5T4823IW | 86c | €102 | A++ | €590 |
| Grundig GT56824CW | 61c | €77 | A+++ | €700 |
For example – comparing costs over just 5 years : If you bought the cheaper Tumble Dryer – the Logik at €275 with a B rating – your total cost including electricity over 5 years would be around €1460
Buying the A+++ rated model for €700 would end up costing around €1085 over 5 years. (375 less)
The savings will work out as more over a longer period of time and will be bigger as electricity rates increase. You can click on the links to see current prices and find out more about each tumble dryer in our small survey.
If you have an older vented tumble dryer with an energy rating as bad as C or D – then average running costs will be even higher than any of the figures shown above – possibly in the region of €300 a year or more. You should be looking at replacing it as soon as possible.
** Annual electricity cost based on 888kg of drying a year and calculated using the manufacturer’s specification and energy usage figures. Manufacturers’ figures usually assume that washing has gone through a 1400rpm spin before being put in the dryer .
The electricity usage figures shown above will be what to expect in optimal conditions. If you don’t clean filters or don’t fully spin the washing then the drying costs will be more than shown in the table above.
How Much is the Average Electricity Bill in Ireland ?