Hot air will cost you

Clothes dryers are big on convenience but hit consumers hard with electricity bills. Machine-drying your clothes costs about $1 a load. But a new survey suggests one-in-four Kiwis will still opt for the electric dryer rather than hanging out their washing - despite half of the respondents saying dryers are for emergencies only, and too expensive to run. Cassandra Mason reports.

Gen Y consumers, aged 18-29, are more inclined to use a dryer instead of an iron to get rid of wrinkles, a Canstar Blue dryers survey of 472 consumers who had bought clothes dryers in the past three years has found. t

Their preference for machine drying also means they are significantly more likely to have ruined clothing through dryer use than anyone else.

Wellingtonians are apparently the most likely to machine-dry their laundry and women are slightly more concerned about the energy efficiency of their machine ...

Power saving tips

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  If you're set on using your dryer, there are several ways you can reduce running costs.
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  Spin your clothes on a high-speed cycle before drying them.
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  Remove lint buildup after every load as it reduces drying efficiency.
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  Shake out your clothes before drying them - tight wads of fabric take longer to dry.
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  Buy a dryer with an auto sensor as it will prevent over-drying and wear and tear on clothing.
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  Separate loads into heavy and lightweight materials as lighter clothes dry more quickly.
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  Choose the right temperature - low heat for delicate items and medium for most others.
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  Some even advise throwing a clean tennis ball in with the load as it separates the clothes to help them dry more quickly.

Which dryers are cheapest to run?

Eighty-two per cent of survey respondents said energy efficiency was "very important" when choosing a dryer.

Canstar New Zealand general manager Derek Bonnar says clothes dryers are high in electricity consumption and cost about $1 a load.

"A large percentage of consumers say that energy efficiency is very important when selecting a dryer. Even though nearly half will only use their dryer in an emergency, energy efficiency is still an important factor in the purchasing decision," he says.

Consumer New Zealand says that heat-pump dryers are the best models for power efficiency because they use a closed loop system, which is cheaper to run - about half the cost of vented and condenser dryers.

But despite being extremely energy-efficient, heat pump dryers are expensive to buy.

How can I get the best deal?

Looking at performance, value for money and energy efficiency, the survey was topped by German brand Bosch, which also took the Canstar Blue award for overall satisfaction. It was followed by Fisher and Paykel, and then Haier.

Bosch also topped a Consumer New Zealand survey earlier this year, which tested 20 heat-pump, condenser and vented models, measuring them on energy-efficiency, drying time and ease of use.

The Bosch WTW84360AU AvantiXX heat-pump dryer came out on top, with "excellent energy-efficiency, good drying time and very easy to use".