New Dryer- Gas vs. Electric
- Thread starter Slick3914
- Start date
The energy savings though can be fantastic.
Not only drying the clothes, but on the HVAC in the house. The air that a conventional dryer cycles through the unit has to come from somewhere, and that is usually from the outside. Drawing hot/cold air into the house that then has to be conditioned.
So where is this heat pump getting it's heat from?
The average cost to operate an electric dryer is $82.74 per year. So if you save 40 or so dollars with a heat pump what is the up front cost. What are anticipated repairs. One repair and most if not all savings wiped out.
The average cost to operate an electric dryer is $82.74 per year. So if you save 40 or so dollars with a heat pump what is the up front cost. What are anticipated repairs. One repair and most if not all savings wiped out.
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- Nov 28, 2021
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I looked at switching to a gas dryer a few years ago. What I found is that electric dryers are much more common in stores. If you want a gas dryer you will have far fewer options and might have to special order the one that you want, while most of the electric dryers will likely be available the same day.
Might not be a big deal if you have time to make a decision and/or wait if you need to, and aren't fussy about the dryer matching the washing machine, but for some people this could be an issue.
Might not be a big deal if you have time to make a decision and/or wait if you need to, and aren't fussy about the dryer matching the washing machine, but for some people this could be an issue.
Not sure where your number comes from but.
With todays electricity prices (for me) of around 16-19cents per kwh all in...
The savings could exceed 100$ a year.. esp in states such as California with high $$$ electricity.
I'd imagine over 4-5 years you would more than break even.. not even counting all the conditioned air a normal dryer is exhausting out of your house.
How it works.
it dehumidifies the air recycling the heat instead of venting it outside.
FWIW my heat pump water heater made it over 7 years and it rusted out.. after an initial warranty board replacement.. (likely lightning strike surge damage).
My replacement HPWH has had no issues since new. Saves $20-$30 a month.
and takes the moisture out of the basement while providing air circulation.
so triple win on that one.
after my experiences with the water heater I'd try a heat pump dryer although I could easily get a natural gas or 240 electric.
It would be nice if someone wanted to add an upstairs laundry room no need to vent outside.. or one of those small all in one washer/dryer units for a nursery.
They arent for everyone though.. and I hope the GOVT. doesn't try to jam them up our collective rears like they do with other policy decisions.
A long time ago, and I can't quote this source because it was pre-wide use of the interwebs I read an article that gas dryers were more apt to cause lint fires by a decent number. I want to say it was in Popular Mechanics but it may well have been in the National Enquirer cause that was a long time ago. Now, I haven't seen any statistics on modern gas vs electric but since you have a choice, you might look into that. or not.....
A heat pump gets the heat from outside. But there is a cost to pumping it inside.
Heating elements on electric dryers burn out more often than gas dryers require repair. I don't know of a market in the US that makes an electric dryer cheaper to operate. I'm all-in on gas though so maybe I'm biased. I have a natural gas dryer, furnace, range, water heater, grill and standby generator.
I'd agree but natural gas isn't an option for the OP.
Propane is 11x the cost. Last time I checked the numbers here
If you like, verify your current propane cost per gallon and your cost per kwhr for electricity and we can do the comparison on the op cost for the actual heat provided. The propane version will also have a small electricity cost on top for the electric motor drive cost. One gallon of propane is equivalent to 27 kwhr of electricity and with an efficiency factor involved might be 25 kwhr of electricity.
My appliance repair guy loves heatpump dryers. Says they make him a lot of money.
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Yes gas dryers appear to be more prone to fires but we don't know how badly neglected they were or if they were even on the correct gas.
If someone buys a gas dryer it comes setup for natural gas. If you try hooking it to propane without the conversation kit its going to make an overfire condition. I bet there's at least hundreds of them in the US running like that at any given moment.
I’m sorry I missed that.
You paying $5 a gallon for propane?
No.
Just did the numbers with updated costs
For 1million btu
Natural gas 3.78$
Propane 30.xx$
Propane has dropped some since last year
Numbers are approximate.
Edit fixed posting from phone.
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That means 1kwh is 3,412btus and one "kWh worth of propane" costs 15 cents.
So based on those numbers propane is cheaper.
There are some holes in your calculations
A propane dryer is hundreds $$$ more and it's at a low use secondary house.
Usually about +100$ for gas model and the additional propane conversion cost.
propane dryer uses 600-800w of power + propane
Propane delivery fee.
I bought mine used for $50 it was cheap because the guy said "no one wanted a gas dryer".
I have no idea how much a propane kit runs, I plugged mine into natural gas, ran it observed the flame it looked correct.
Mine only uses 600 to 800w on start up and intermittently. Once the flame is established the ignitor turns off and it was drawing more like 100 to 200w of electricity.
Round here they only charge you to deliver less than 100 gallons, last time I checked.
What is your delivered price? I was having a hard time finding one. Most required a contract to get a certain price.
Sounds like the dryer in a 2nd home gets little use per year, So the annual difference in operating cost is negligible.
You are already set up for a gas dryer, so the least hassle is to replace it with another gas dryer.
The heat pump option is a red herring. It would only make sense if you had 15 kids who all liked to play in the mud.
You are already set up for a gas dryer, so the least hassle is to replace it with another gas dryer.
The heat pump option is a red herring. It would only make sense if you had 15 kids who all liked to play in the mud.
I'll have to check the air intake hose/blower running out of my wall sucking in outside air. I may need to caulk it.