Martin Lewis shares a genius tip to cut energy costs by replacing this one 'demon' appliance
Share:
Money-saving guru Martin Lewis has a hot tip for households as the big chill sets in; ditch your 'demon appliance' tumble dryer and grab a dehumidifier to dry your clothes. With winter on the horizon and sunny days for airing out laundry becoming scarce, homes are facing the struggle of indoor drying, which can lead to issues like mould, condensation, and musty clothes.
But the financial whizz is flagging that tumble dryers could burn a hole in your pocket due to their high running costs. Instead, Martin advocates for the use of dehumidifiers, which are not only more cost-effective but also quick at drying clothes and preventing dampness and mould.
On an episode of The Martin Lewis Podcast, available on BBC Sounds, Spotify, and Apple Music, Martin explained: "Many dehumidifiers have different wattages. The one I checked out was 200W. Once we know it's 200W and we know a kilowatt is 1,000W, which is how electricity tends to be priced, we know this is a fifth of a kilowatt.
"And you pay roughly 34p per kilowatt per hour. A fifth is 7p, so you're going to pay roughly 7p per hour to run a dehumidifier at 200W, assuming it uses full power the whole time.". With energy costs having dipped since his initial advice, Martin notes that now it would cost about 5.5p an hour to run a dehumidifier, based on the current 26p unit prices for this winter, reports the Express. In comparison, energy supplier Utilita estimates that a tumble dryer can cost between 53p to £1 an hour to run, which is ten to 20 times the amount. It's indeed a demon appliance.
