How much does it save to dry clothes outside in a heatwave instead of using a tumble dryer?

SCORCHING temperatures could be good news for your energy bills.

Switching off the heating is likely already saving you some significant cash this summer.

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But the hot weather also means you could slash your bills further as you can stop using one the most energy-hungry devices in your home.

Anyone with a tumble dryer will be thankful for the appliance in winter, when it’s almost impossible to dry clothes.

But come the sunnier weather – and especially a heatwave – here’s how much you could save drying your clothes outside instead.

How much energy does a tumble dryer use?

Tumble dryers are among the most high power items you can have in the home.

The price of running a tumble dryer depends on what type of machine you buy and specifically the wattage, plus how long you have it on.

This can range from 800W for newer models with more modern technology up to 2,500W for older designs.

The size, age and any eco settings can affect how much energy it consumes.

The folk at Uswitch estimates a tumble dryer uses roughly 4.5 kWh of energy per cycle.

But if you want to work out yours exactly here’s how to calculate it.

Find the wattage and this will tell you how much power the tumble dryer is using.

Then you need to find the total output you will have to turn that wattage into kilowatt hours.

There’s a bit of maths involved as first you divide the kilowatts by 1,000.

This will give you how much output is used in one hour. So if your dryer is 800 watts output divide 800 by 1000 = 0.8

Then multiply this number by the number of hours you use the dryer.

For example, if you’re using it for two hours at a time, then 0.8kW x two hours will mean 1.6kW output.

If you do the same calculation for a more energy consuming 2,500 watt model, then it’s 5kW output.

How much does a tumble dryer cost to run – and how much can I save air drying?

Each kWh of energy you use costs roughly 28.3p.

That’s if you haven energy tariff that’s subject to the price cap, but you can find the exact price you pay on your bill.

If we take USwitch’s estimate of 4.5Kwh, then it’s costing around £1.27 per cycle.

Of course the exact amount you’re spending depends on how often you’re using it.

At three uses per week that’s around £3.81 or nearly £200 a year.

If you’re using it everyday if you have a larger family then it could be higher, while once a week use would be less.

You won’t be able to do this all year round, bit you could certainly save some pounds cutting back on your use in the hot weather.

Based on replacing the tumble dryer cycle three times a week over three weeks you could save a tenner.

The longer the heatwave lasts the more you stand to save.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk