Summer is here and although that means more opportunities to dry laundry outdoors in the sun, you can’t always guarantee good weather here in the UK.
Stating the obvious, then, what is required in this unpredictable climate is some form of clothes-drying technology that’s also heavily imbued with eco-efficiency to a) help save what’s left of the planet, and b) help save what’s left of your pennies as the UK Energy Crisis continues to trudge on.
What kind of clothes-drying technology can strike such a fine balance? A condenser dryer, that’s what, my dry-curious friend. Here comes the science… of sorts…
The main benefit of a condenser dryer over a vented option is, well, it doesn’t need to be vented so it can be installed anywhere. Also, by recycling the hot air inside, it is more energy efficient but won’t raise the temperature in your home.
Plus, condenser dryers don’t clog quite as readily and produce – if you’re going full-green – greywater which can be used for, say, flushing the loo.
But – and there is always a ‘but’ – condenser dryers also tend to need to work for longer, so despite recycling that aforementioned hot air, they can be more expensive to run depending on use. They are also more labour-intensive, as you’ll have to empty the water from it yourself, but then that’s your loo-flushing greywater right there. Another consideration is that condenser dryers need to inhale and exhale air to work, so while they can be installed anywhere, they’ll still need space to breathe.
The cost of running will depend on the size and power rating of the individual machine, plus programme lengths, of course, but keep a keen eye on the Energy Efficiency classification (the coloured A to G rate) of any machine you have your eye on as a guide.
Got all that? Good, then let’s take a tumble through our sextet of soak-solving suggestions.
Hoover H-DRY 300 LITE HLE C10DCER-80 10kg
Best for: Larger families with mixed drying needs
You know what? Sometimes size does matter. There, I said it. And this king-sizer of the condenser world is here to prove that, by servicing the demanding tumble drying terms of bigger than average families. Indeed, with a whopping 10kg capacity, a wealth of programs to treat every load with the kid-glove care it requires and even a smartphone app to allow owners to tailor the Hoover to their exact requirements, the Hoover is a hefty condenser help.
Offering Anti-Allergy to rid you of pesky dust parasites and a Woolmark-approved programme to take care of the likes of cashmere, amongst many others, the Hoover’s ‘Aquavision’ water tank lets you keep a constant eye on the level, removing when approaching capacity and reusing that removed water in the greenest way you can imagine.
With a start delay of up to 24 hours available too, plus an end-of-cycle indicator, the Hoover H-DRY 300 LITE HLE C10DCER-80 brings big-dog-style condenser-based tumble drying to larger families lacking in ventilation and does so with smarts and – it must be said – considerable style.
- Capacity: 10kg
- Energy Efficiency: B
- Programmes: 15
- Dimensions: 59.6 x 58.5 x 85.0cm (WxDxH)
Buy now £379.00, AO
Hotpoint NT M11 9X3E 9kg
Best for: Energy-watching allergy sufferers
Hotpoint has been turning out tumble dryers for some time, so it’s safe to assume the big-brained boffins in the company’s laundry lab know what they’re doing. But if you need more proof of that rather than just accepting my lazy assumption, then just take a look at the NT M11 9X3E. A 9kg capacity makes it fit to take a family-sized load, while an A+++ energy rating and the machine’s Heat Pump tech means it can save you up to 50 per cent when it comes to power consumption.
What’s more, thanks to a gentle drum motion rocking your sodden kit as though it were a newborn baby. This is combined with Hotpoint’s cunning ActiveCare technology so even your most delicate of delicates is treated to the drying it deserves. It also keeps creasing down to a minimum and reduces fabric wear to keep your clothes looking better for longer, unless of course, you’re one of those people who wears jeans so distressed that you look like you’ve been mauled by a bear, in which case you’re beyond help.
An excellent option for those with allergy issues too, the Hotpoint features an Anti-Allergy option that allows higher temperatures to eliminate bacteria and allergens from your laundry, making it perfect for those with sensitive skin.
Add to this an easy-to-read LED display and controls that even one of Elon Musk’s brain-chipped monkeys could operate and the Hotpoint NT M11 9X3E could well be the energy-efficient condenser dryer of your dreams. If, of course, white goods are what you dream of.
- Capacity: 9kg
- Energy Efficiency: A+++
- Programmes: 15
- Dimensions: 59.5 x 65.5 x 84.9cm (WxDxH)
Buy now £529.00, Currys
Indesit YT M11 83X
Best for: Quick-dry simplicity
Another smart Heat Pump-packing condenser dryer, this time from Indesit, the YT M11 83X comes with different programs to choose from, including one specifically designed to get your duvets drier than an overcooked Christmas turkey. But if all that sounds a bit overwhelming, then be whelmed again by the fact that it also comes with a Push&Go cycle that, as is probably obvious now, lets you activate the same old daily cycle at the ‘Push’ of one button, allowing you to simply ‘Go’.
For those who need to go more quickly than others, there’s also a stunningly fast 45-minute cycle, and for both the pushed parent and the easily confused alike, an Easy Mix Cycle which can perfectly dehydrate 3kg of mixed kit with no problems, making it a shoo-in for school uniforms.
Efficient with your energy too, the YT M11 83X (crazy name, etc.) has a rating of A++, meaning a deluge of dry laundry each and every cycle without having to worry about all your hard-earned wherewithal being washed away with the greywater.
- Capacity: 8kg
- Energy Efficiency: A+++
- Programmes: 15
- Dimensions: 84.9 x 59.5 x 64.9cm (WxDxH)
Buy now £429.00, Marks Electrical
Hotpoint H3D91WBUK 9kg
Best for: Big brand features at a smaller price
This is another hot option from Hotpoint. Incidentally, appliance fact fans, the name comes from the ‘hottest point’ of the first ever electric iron that automatically turned off when the optimum temperature was reached, invented by US colonial and company founder Earl Richardson in 1905. It might come up in a pub quiz.
The nattily named H3D91WBUK may come B-rated for energy efficiency, but this three- to four-person suitable spin dryer weighs in on average at using 616kWh of precious power annually, which, using the equation from my grown-up journalist article on appliance energy consumption works out at a £209.44 yearly running cost.
Not only is the H3Dblah-blah-blah reasonably inexpensive to run, it also features a full 15 drying programmes to deal with anything from delicates to allergies thanks to HP’s Anti-Allergy programme removing 99.9 per cent of bacteria and dust mites from your fabrics, so not only will your laundry be squeaky dry, it’ll also keep your skin from becoming a blotchy mess.
Add to that an Anti-Crease programme to cut down on ironing and another cycle specifically there to purge the aqua pura from your towels, and the Hotpoint H3D91WBUK – currently reduced by £80 at AO – is an efficient, inexpensive answer to many of life’s condenser tumble dryer questions.
- Capacity: 9kg
- Energy Efficiency: B
- Programmes: 15
- Dimensions: 59.8 x 60.5 x 84.6cm (WxDxH)
Buy now £399.00, AO
Beko B3T4911DG 9kg
Best for: Hot performance, cool results
Despite being one of Britain’s most favoured home appliance brands, Beko may not be the first name that leaps to mind when considering where to fling your condenser cash, but only a feckless fool would not add the B3T4911DG to their list of ventless water-wringers.
For a start, it has a 9kg capacity, which is yawning enough to swallow the average load of a 3-4-person household. It also has an average annual energy consumption of 615.7kWh, which sits squarely with the Hotpoint H3D91WBUK in terms of running costs. There are 15 programs to play with in order to get your odd and sods impeccably unirrigated, including an Eco Mode and an Auto Cool-Down phase that renders your recently dried stuff ready to handle without the worry of scorching your fingertips on a superheated T-shirt.
Also boasting an in-drum light that means you’ll see clearly enough to never leave a single sock (and it always is just the one) behind, the Beko B3T4911DG offers some bigger-name-beating performance at a properly affordable price.
- Capacity: 9kg
- Energy Efficiency: B
- Programmes: 15
- Dimensions: 59.8 x 60.5 x 84.6cm (WxDxH)
Buy now £449.00, AO
Indesit I2D81W 8kg
Best for: Smaller loads, smaller price
Cutting price considerably now, down to just over £200 while still covering most laundry drying bases, the Indesit I2D81W doesn’t come blessed with the same ‘Push&Go’ tech of its earlier bigger sibling, but what it does have is ‘Turn&Go’ which offer all the same instant convenience but utilising a slightly different manoeuvre made obvious in the name. This means that, while you can carefully set it for synthetics and other delicates alike, it can also be primed just to go through the usual daily drying process at the ‘turn’ of a button.
Rated as a ‘B’ in the energy efficiency stakes, average annual electricity usage is reckoned around 560.6kWh, which will see your yearly drying bill come in at a crisp tenner under £200 (going off the current 34p price cap), which is remarkably reasonable.
A smaller 8kg drum makes light work of the laundry load of couples, and while there is no crease control function to stop you from having to slave over a hot iron, nothing specific for synthetics, or indeed different fabric demands, the Indesit I2D81W can still get the drying daily grind done and at an entry price and energy efficiency that’ll help keep the pounds out of the grasping hands of the power companies at the energy crisis continues.
- Capacity: 8kg
- Energy Efficiency: B
- Programmes: 3
- Dimensions: 59.5 x 61.0 x 85.0cm (WxDxH)
Buy now £319.00, Currys
Verdict
Although tumble dryers of any type might not quite be the most economical appliances to run during the ongoing energy crisis, keeping yourself toasty warm and dry is still a priority when winter howls at the doors. But, the machine you need depends on the size of your household, while the run costs depend both on size and energy efficiency rating.
As far as I’m concerned (a remarkably average example of an everyday man, currently in a domestic arrangement with one other adult and two school-age children), the Hoover H3D91WBUK hits the spot, thanks to its combination of wide-ranging functionality and low running costs.
And since I despise ironing with a passion almost unnatural, the Anti-Crease option for a man forever dressed in formal shirts is a match made in condenser heaven.
