EVERY winter I used to dread the temperature falling, as I knew it would be the start of my yearly battle to dry my washing without putting on my heating for too long.
I used to wash my items and bung them in the tumble dryer for hours and they’d often come out still slightly wet.
Meanwhile, when energy prices rose, I worried about the cost of running my old tumble dryer for hours at a time.
I used to hang larger items like sheets or towels on a clothes horse in the living room – but three days later they would still be wet.
I tried putting the rack closer to my radiator and even cranking up the heating in my draughty Victorian flat – but nothing helped.
As it got colder, my clothes and bedding often started to get a damp, musty smell.
Read more on energy bills
My clothes started to get smelly
But now I’ve ditched my dryer – and instead a gadget that costs just 7p per hour to run has saved my clothes from going smelly.
Now, I’m using a DrySoon Heated Drying Pod Airer. I paid £65 for the gadget – but there are loads on sale at the moment from £35.
It works by blowing hot air into the bag, drying your clothes. It usually takes around two hours.
I can fit two loads of washing inside too, much more than I could pack into my dryer.
It also makes my living room warm, meaning I can turn off the radiators for that room too, saving even more money.
Plus, now I don’t have to worry about how much cranking up the heating to dry my clothes is costing me.
And I’ve even found that it’s cut down my ironing too, as it often reduces creases in clothes.
It’s cheaper than using a dryer – but don’t get caught out
Heated airers can save you money but it’s important to choose the right one as some can be more costly than modern tumble dryers.
A heated airer like mine can cost around 24p an hour to run, or 47p for two hours, according to Uswitch.
In comparison, an old tumble dryer will cost you 79p for the same time period – 32p more.
Plus, as I’m able to get two loads of washing into my airer, I think it’s probably around £1.11 cheaper than using the tumble dryer.
A modern tumble dryer costs around 40p to run for two hours, which means it is 7p cheaper when drying one load of washing.
But as I’m able to get two loads of washing in my DrySoon, it’s 33p cheaper than running the newest model of tumble dryer.
It’s important to note that the exact saving will depend on how full your heated airer is when you use it and how long you are setting it to run for.
Plus, the exact time it will take your items to dry can vary depending on how big they are.
But with the energy price cap set to inch up by 28p a month from January, I’m happy in the knowledge I’ll still be saving money.
Trust me, once you try it, you’ll never go back to using your tumble dryer.
How to save on your energy bills
SWITCHING energy providers can sound like a hassle – but fortunately it’s pretty straight forward to change supplier – and save lots of cash.
Shop around – If you’re on an SVT deal you are likely throwing away up to £250 a year. Use a comparion site such as MoneySuperMarket.com, uSwitch or EnergyHelpline.com to see what deals are available to you.
The cheapest deals are usually found online and are fixed deals – meaning you’ll pay a fixed amount usually for 12 months.
Switch – When you’ve found one, all you have to do is contact the new supplier.
It helps to have the following information – which you can find on your bill – to hand to give the new supplier.
- Your postcode
- Name of your existing supplier
- Name of your existing deal and how much you payAn up-to-date meter reading
It will then notify your current supplier and begin the switch.
It should take no longer than three weeks to complete the switch and your supply won’t be interrupted in that time.
