How Much Electricity
Does a Dryer Use?
Drying clothes electrically costs anywhere from a few pence with a heated airer to nearly a pound with an old condenser tumble dryer. The right dryer for your home depends on space, cycle frequency plus how quickly you need wet washing dry.
Clothes dryers in UK homes range from 1.2 kWh per cycle for an efficient heat pump tumble dryer to 5 kWh per cycle for an old vented or condenser model. At the current Q2 2026 Ofgem unit rate of 24.7p per kWh that means 30p to £1.24 per dry. Heated airers (200 to 300W) cost roughly 5p to 7p per hour, taking 4 to 6 hours per load. Dehumidifier drying on a cool day costs around 12p to 18p per hour for 4 to 8 hours. Annual cost ranges from £45 for a heat pump dryer at 3 cycles per week to over £200 for a condenser dryer at the same frequency.
The figures that matter
Heat pump tumble
Cheapest tumble option. Cycle costs 30p to 49p at 24.7p per kWh.
Vented or condenser
Older tumble dryer technology. Cycle costs 49p to £1.24 per dry.
Heated airer
5p to 7p per hour. Slow but very low cycle cost. Best for households with time.
Air drying
Free. Outside line drying or rack drying in a heated room costs nothing extra.
Four things to consider
Heat pump beats other tumble types
Heat pump tumble dryers use 50 to 60 percent less electricity per cycle than vented or condenser dryers.
Heated airers are very cheap
200 to 300W airers cost a fraction of any tumble dryer cycle. Slower but cheap.
Higher spin saves drying time
Washing at 1400rpm extracts more water than 800rpm. Dryer cycle drops by 15 to 25 percent.
Air drying is always cheapest
Outdoor drying or indoor rack drying in heated rooms costs nothing on top of household running cost.
Every UK clothes drying option compared on cost
There are five common ways UK households dry clothes: tumble dryer (vented, condenser or heat pump), dehumidifier-assisted drying, heated airer, indoor air drying or outdoor line drying. Each has very different running costs.
Real numbers at 24.7p per kWh (Q2 2026 Ofgem cap):
- Heat pump tumble dryer (1.2 to 2 kWh per cycle). 30p to 49p per cycle. £47 to £76 per year at 3 weekly cycles.
- Vented tumble dryer (2 to 3 kWh per cycle). 49p to 74p per cycle. £76 to £115 per year.
- Condenser tumble dryer (3 to 4 kWh per cycle). 74p to 99p per cycle. £115 to £155 per year.
- Heated airer (200 to 300W) for 5 hours. 1 to 1.5 kWh per dry. 25p to 37p per dry. £39 to £58 per year.
- Dehumidifier dryer (250 to 600W) for 5 hours. 1.25 to 3 kWh per dry. 31p to 74p per dry. £48 to £115 per year.
Why heated airers are surprisingly cheap. A 300W heated airer drying clothes for 5 hours uses 1.5 kWh, costing 37p at the current rate. The same load in a vented tumble dryer uses 2 to 3 kWh, costing 49p to 74p. Heated airers are slower but they cost less per dry load. The trade-off is space (you need a spare room) plus time (4 to 6 hours per load).
Where dehumidifier drying fits. Running a dehumidifier in a closed room with wet washing on an airer dries clothes in 4 to 8 hours. The dehumidifier draws 250 to 600W. Total cost per dry is 31p to 74p, similar to a tumble dryer but with the bonus of removing room moisture (helpful for condensation problems in UK winter). Plus the dehumidifier still works for non-drying use the rest of the time.
What changes the running cost most:
- Spin speed before drying. 1400rpm extracts much more water than 800rpm. Drying time drops 15 to 25 percent.
- Load size. Half loads waste energy. Match load to dryer capacity.
- Lint filter cleanliness. Clogged filter forces longer cycles. Clean every cycle.
- Heat pump dryer condition. Heat exchangers need annual deep clean to maintain efficiency.
Real number ranges
Cost per dry load by drying method (UK 2026)
How a typical UK household uses dryers across a year
Mostly outdoor
Line drying outside on dry days. Tumble dryer used 1 cycle per week for towels plus rainy days.
Outdoor wins
Most loads dry on the line. Tumble dryer barely used. Lowest dryer electricity month.
Mixed methods
Outdoor on dry days, heated airer or dehumidifier indoors on damp days. 2 tumble cycles per week.
Indoor only
Tumble or heated airer for almost every load. Dryer at full use, 3 to 5 cycles per week typical.
Four ways to cut clothes drying costs
Spin at 1400rpm or higher
Higher washer spin extracts more water before drying. Cuts dryer cycle time by 15 to 25 percent.
Use a heated airer for small loads
300W airer for 5 hours uses 1.5 kWh. Cheaper than any tumble dryer cycle for non-urgent loads.
Combine dehumidifier plus airer
Faster than airer alone, much cheaper than tumble dryer. Bonus: removes room moisture.
Air dry whenever weather allows
Outdoor line drying is free. Indoor rack drying in already-heated rooms adds nothing.
Compare the options
Tumble dryer (heat pump)
- •1.2 to 2 kWh per cycle for 8kg load.
- •30p to 49p per cycle at 24.7p per kWh.
- •2 to 3 hours per dry. Faster than airer-based drying.
- •£500 to £900 to buy. Premium tumble dryer category.
- •Best for households needing fast turnaround on wet washing.
Heated airer plus dehumidifier
- •1 to 2 kWh per dry combined airer plus dehumidifier.
- •30p to 50p per dry for 4 to 6 hour cycle.
- •4 to 8 hours per dry. Slower but tackles room moisture too.
- •£50 to £300 to buy for the airer plus dehumidifier combo.
- •Best for households with patience plus condensation issues.
Clothes drying is one of the more flexible household electricity loads because there are so many options. Our full Appliances hub covers running costs across every major UK household appliance.
Visit the Appliances Hub
This article is one chapter inside our complete Appliances knowledge base. The hub covers running costs across every major household appliance from kettles to heat pumps.
More on appliance running costs
Three further laundry plus utility appliance articles in the same hub group cover related questions. The first is how much electric does a tumble dryer use for the most common dryer category. The second covers how much electric does a washing machine use for the partner appliance. The third is how much electricity does a dehumidifier use for the moisture-control alternative.