10 Tips to Reduce Your Dryer Energy Costs

Clothes dryers are among the most energy-hungry appliances in Australian homes, accounting for up to 10% of household electricity consumption. With electricity prices averaging 30 cents per kilowatt-hour and continuing to rise, running your dryer efficiently isn't just good for the environment - it directly impacts your household budget.

The good news is that you don't need to give up the convenience of your dryer to save money. These ten practical strategies can reduce your drying costs by 20-50% depending on your current habits, without sacrificing clean, fresh-smelling clothes.

1. Maximise Your Spin Cycle First

The cheapest way to dry clothes is to remove water before they even reach the dryer. Your washing machine's spin cycle uses a fraction of the energy that heat drying requires. If your washer has spin speed options, use the highest setting appropriate for your fabric type.

For items that can handle it, running an extra spin cycle adds just a few cents to your wash cost but can reduce drying time by 15-20 minutes. Towels and heavy cotton items benefit particularly from maximum spin extraction.

2. Don't Overdry Your Clothes

Overdrying is one of the biggest energy wastes in laundry. Running a timed cycle until every item is bone-dry wastes electricity on items that dried early in the cycle. It also damages fabrics and sets wrinkles, potentially requiring re-washing or ironing.

Use your dryer's sensor dry function if available. These moisture sensors detect when clothes are actually dry and end the cycle automatically. If you must use timed drying, check clothes a few minutes before the cycle ends and remove items that are dry.

3. Clean the Lint Filter Religiously

A clogged lint filter restricts airflow, forcing your dryer to work harder and longer. Studies have shown that a dirty filter can increase energy consumption by up to 30%. Cleaning the filter takes five seconds and costs nothing.

Make it an unbreakable habit: clean the filter after every single load. Once a month, wash the filter with warm soapy water to remove invisible residue from fabric softeners that can block the mesh even when it looks clean.

4. Dry Full Loads (But Don't Overload)

Running your dryer half-empty wastes energy because the machine uses roughly the same power whether it's drying one towel or ten. Wait until you have enough laundry for a full load before running a cycle.

However, overloading is equally problematic. When clothes can't tumble freely, they dry unevenly, and the dryer runs longer to compensate. Aim for the drum to be about two-thirds full, giving items room to circulate.

5. Separate Lightweight and Heavy Items

Mixing thin cotton shirts with heavy jeans or towels means lighter items are overdried while heavier ones remain damp. This forces you to either run the cycle longer than needed for the light items or run a second cycle for the heavy ones.

Sort laundry by fabric weight and dry similar items together. Light synthetics and cottons dry quickly; save heavy towels, jeans, and sweatshirts for their own cycle.

6. Maintain Your Exhaust System

For vented dryers, a restricted exhaust duct has the same effect as a clogged lint filter - it forces the dryer to work harder and longer. Lint buildup in the ductwork is a common hidden energy drain.

• Inspect and clean accessible duct sections every few months
• Ensure the external vent flapper moves freely
• Replace flexible plastic or foil ducting with rigid metal for better airflow
• Keep duct runs as short and straight as possible

7. Dry Consecutive Loads

When doing multiple loads, run them back-to-back. The dryer retains heat between cycles, so subsequent loads benefit from a warm drum and don't need to heat up from cold. This can shave several minutes off each following cycle.

This strategy works best when you can complete all your drying in one session rather than spreading loads throughout the day.

8. Use Lower Heat Settings

Higher heat settings dry clothes faster but use more energy and can damage fabrics over time. For most everyday items, medium or low heat achieves the same result with less electricity, just slightly slower.

Reserve high heat for heavy-duty items like towels and bedding that can handle it. Delicates, synthetics, and anything with elastic should always use low heat regardless of efficiency considerations.

9. Use Dryer Balls Instead of Fabric Softener

Wool dryer balls are a one-time purchase that serves multiple purposes. As they tumble with your clothes, they separate items and create air channels, reducing drying time by 10-25%. They also soften fabrics and reduce static naturally.

Unlike liquid fabric softeners, dryer balls don't leave residue on your lint filter or clothes. Three to four balls per load is optimal for standard capacity dryers.

10. Consider Your Dryer's Energy Rating

If your dryer is more than 10 years old, it's likely using far more electricity than modern models. The difference can be dramatic - a new 10-star heat pump dryer might use less than half the energy of an old 2-star vented model.

While replacing an appliance has upfront costs, the energy savings often justify upgrading sooner than you might think. Use our energy rating guide to calculate potential savings for your household.

Bonus: Know When Not to Use the Dryer

The most efficient dryer cycle is the one you don't run. Australia's climate makes outdoor line drying practical for much of the year in most regions. Even in cooler months, indoor drying racks or retractable clotheslines can handle many items.

Consider a hybrid approach: use the dryer for items where you need it (towels, bedding, work clothes needed quickly) and line dry items where you can. Even replacing one dryer load per week with line drying saves $40-80 annually.

Putting It All Together

Implementing these strategies doesn't require significant effort or investment. Most are simple habit changes that become second nature quickly. Here's a summary of their relative impact:

• High impact (10-20% savings each): Clean lint filter, use sensor dry, don't overdry
• Medium impact (5-15% savings each): Full loads, sort by weight, maintain exhaust system
• Lower but cumulative impact: Extra spin cycles, dryer balls, consecutive loads, lower heat

Combined, these practices can easily cut your dryer running costs by a third or more. For a household spending $400 annually on dryer electricity, that's over $130 back in your pocket - every year.

For more on choosing an energy-efficient dryer, see our comparison of heat pump vs condenser dryers, or use our dryer finder quiz to find models that match your efficiency priorities.