Clothes dryer energy efficiency

Of course, one of the cheapest means of drying clothes uses no appliance what-so-ever. The simple clothes line and clothes pins cost hardly anything. Using the heat of the sun and drying power of breezes, clothes lines are making a come back in many backyards.

Unlike most other types of appliances, clothes dryers don't vary much in the amount of energy used from model to model. That's why clothes dryers are not required to display EnergyGuide labels. They're also not listed in the ENERGY STAR®'s database.

But that doesn't mean that the amount of energy used by clothes dryers isn't important. A dryer is typically the second-biggest electricity-using appliance after the refrigerator, costing about $85 to operate annually.

Over its expected lifetime of 18 years, the average clothes dryer will cost you approximately $1,530 to operate.

Right now, all dryers on the market work the same - they tumble clothes through heated air to remove moisture. Engineers are working to develop dryers that use microwaves to dry clothes, but they're not yet being sold. (One problem still to be overcome is metal rivets and metal zippers, which don't microwave well.)

Buying Smart

Consider these tips if you're looking to buy an efficient clothes dryer:

Check for the highest energy factor number when comparing different models. Remember that there are two costs to an appliance - the initial purchase price, and the cost of operating that appliance over the many years you own it.

Look for a clothes dryer with a moisture sensor that automatically shuts off the machine when your clothes are dry. Not only does this save energy; it reduces wear and tear on clothes caused by over-drying.

The best dryers have moisture sensors in the drum for sensing dryness, while most only estimate dryness by sensing the temperature of the exhaust air. Compared with timed drying, you can save about 10 percent with a temperature sensing control, and 15 percent with a moisture sensing control.

Look for a dryer with a cycle that includes a cool-down period, sometimes known as a "perma-press" cycle. In the last few minutes of the cycle, cool air, rather than heated air, is blown through the tumbling clothes to complete the drying process.