Heated airer vs tumble dryer: which is cheaper to run?
Every autumn the same question comes round. The washing line's out of action until spring, the radiators are covered in damp socks, and the tumble dryer is sitting there looking expensive.
So is a heated airer actually cheaper? Yes, by a long way. But it isn't free, it isn't quick, and the water in your washing has to go somewhere.
The numbers
Here's what one load costs on each option, worked out at a standard electricity rate of about 25.6p a unit. That's the standard variable rate I checked in Yorkshire on 22 October 2026; yours will be in the same ballpark, and your bill shows the exact figure.
| How you dry it | Electricity per load (typical) | Cost per load | Three loads a week, for a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tumble dryer (vented or condenser) | about 4kWh | about £1.02 | about £160 |
| Heat pump tumble dryer | about 1.5kWh | about 38p | about £60 |
| Dehumidifier in a closed room | about 2kWh (250W for 8 hours) | about 51p | about £80 |
| Heated airer | about 1.2kWh (300W for 4 hours) | about 31p | about £48 |
| Clothes horse or washing line | nothing | free | free |
These are typical figures, not lab measurements. Your own machine might use more or less, so check its rating plate or energy label. I've used the same figures in the Gas or electric? tool, where you can put in your own prices.
The headline: a conventional tumble dryer costs roughly three times as much per load as a heated airer. Over a year of three loads a week, that's more than £100.
Why the tumble dryer costs so much
A conventional tumble dryer heats air with an element, blows it through your clothes, and then either vents that warm, wet air outside or condenses the water out and throws the heat away. A lot of energy goes into heating air that leaves almost straight away.
A heat pump dryer recycles that heat instead, which is why it uses well under half the electricity. It costs more to buy, and cycles take longer, but if you dry a lot of washing it's the one to replace your old dryer with when the time comes.
Why the heated airer is cheaper, and where it falls down
A heated airer is basically a low-powered radiator you hang clothes on. It isn't trying to dry everything in an hour; it gently warms the fabric and lets the room do the rest.
That's where the catches come in:
- It's slow. Four hours is a reasonable guess for a light load, and towels or jeans can take a lot longer. Longer drying means more units, so the gap with a heat pump dryer can close.
- It holds less. Most airers take a single load of shirts and smalls comfortably, but not a family's worth of bedding.
- The water goes into your room. Everything that was in your washing ends up in the air, and then on your windows and walls. Do that every day in a small flat through the winter and you're inviting condensation and mould.
Wattages also vary between models. Check the label on yours; a lower-wattage airer costs less per hour but may take longer to get the job done.
The best combination for most homes
For most people the answer isn't one or the other. It's this:
- Spin it hard first. The more water the washing machine gets out, the less any dryer has to remove. Use the highest spin speed your clothes can take.
- Use the heated airer for everyday loads. Shirts, underwear, kids' clothes.
- Open a window or run a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier in the same room deals with the damp, and the warm, dry air speeds up the airer too.
- Save the tumble dryer for the big, heavy stuff. Towels and bedding, when you need them dry today.
Does the time of day matter?
On a standard tariff, no: a unit costs the same at any hour. On a time-of-use tariff like Octopus Go or Agile it makes a real difference. At Octopus Go's cheap rate of about 9.4p, the same tumble dryer load costs around 38p instead of £1, and a heated airer costs about 11p.
One important caveat. Fire services advise against leaving tumble dryers and washing machines running overnight or while you're out, because if something goes wrong you've far less time to react. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue and London Fire Brigade have both said so. Clean the dryer's lint filter every load, too. So use cheap hours you're awake for, like an early-morning start or a cheap evening slot on Agile, rather than the middle of the night.
Cheap Watts will find the cheapest time to run your tumble dryer, heated airer or dehumidifier on your tariff, with the greenest time alongside it. Pick the appliance, and it does the rest.
The short version
- A heated airer costs about a third of a conventional tumble dryer per load.
- A heat pump dryer sits in between, and is the one to buy when your old dryer gives up.
- Indoor drying needs ventilation or a dehumidifier, or you're trading a cheaper bill for damp walls.
- If you're on a time-of-use tariff, picking the cheap hours cuts the cost by more than half again.
This week, try one load on the airer with the highest spin and a window open, and see how long it actually takes in your home. That tells you more than any table.