| RSS Web Feed for Renewable Energy UK |  | REUK Shop | Directory | Bookmark Site | About Us  

Save Electricity with a Spin Dryer



Save Electricity With A Spin Dryer

Find out more about how a spin dryer could save you money and save electricity

energy efficiency | shopping
Printer Friendly Version Print Article     

Tumble dryers are one of the biggest consumers of domestic electricity. Most people are unable to hang their washing out to dry 365 days a year, but there is an alternative - an 'old-fashioned' spin dryer (also spelt spin drier). In a previous article we looked at the energy efficient Spin X Spin Dryer. Here we will look at some of the other spin dryers available in the United Kingdom today.

Using a spin dryer prior to putting the washing in the tumble dryer can save a lot of electricity, therefore reducing carbon emissions, and saving money.

What are the Advantages of Spin Dryers

Unlike a tumble dryer, a spin dryer does not use heat to get clothes dry. Instead it rotates the washing at great speed causing water to be spun out due to centrifugal force. By removing the majority of the water from washing with a spin dryer, the time taken to dry clothes in the tumble dryer (or hung outside) is greatly reduced.

A typical tumble dryer uses around 2,400 Watts of electricity compared to just 400 Watts for a spin dryer. This is purely because heating the inside of the tumble dryer requires a lot of electricity whereas powering the small motor in a spin dryer does not.

Typically, using the spin dryer for five minutes will reduce the time required in the tumble dryer by half an hour. In 30 minutes the tumble dryer will consume around 1.2 kWh of electricity, in five minutes in the spin dryer just 0.03 kWh will be used. Therefore a saving of just under 1.2 kWh of electricity per load can be achieved (saving around 15 pence). A middle of the range spin dryer costing around £100 will pay for itself in 666 drying cycles which is 3-4 years for the average UK family (or three to four weeks for anyone with a baby!).

NEW Click here to read our new article on energy efficient gas tumble dryers which reduce carbon emissions by half and running costs by as much as 65%.

Buy a Spin Dryer

The efficiency of a spin dryer is key, since it should ideally be able to pay for itself within its operational lifetime with electricity savings. In addition, if the aim is to get clothes dry using as little energy as possible, an efficient unit is naturally preferable.

Things to look out for when purchasing a spin dryer are the rotational speed - the higher the better (typically around 2,500 to 3,300 RPM), the power consumption, efficiency (spin dryers are typically rated in efficiency class D) and the load capacity.
Typically water is removed from the spin dryer by gravity, however more expensive models often have a pump which speeds up the drying process.

Buy a Spin Dryer



The Creda S202PW has a load capacity of 11lb, and is available for around £100.

Creda S202PW Spin Dryer

The Creda S102GW spin dryer has a load capacity of 9lb and a spin speed of 2,800 RPM. It is available from around £100. It is in energy efficiency class D.

Creda S102GW Spin Dryer

The Frigidaire FSD28 spin dryer (pictured below) has a 5.5lb load capacity and costs around £75.

FSD28 Spin Dryer

Spin X. The manufacturers of the Spin X Spin Dryer promise that just two minutes in their dryer will save 30 minutes of tumble dryer time. The Spin X is made in Germany and is currently not sold in the UK. It is however available for $499 in the USA from spin-x.com.

Spin X Spin Dryer

Article Last Modified: 11:58, 31st Jan 2009

Comment on this Article

If you have any comments on this article, please email them to neil@reuk.co.uk.


Recommended Related Articles

People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:

Spin X Spin Dryer
Find out about the super efficient Spin X Spin Dryer
Article Last Modified: 09:37, 21st Apr 2006
energy efficiency

Ways to Save Electricity
Find out how you can save electricity in your home - help the environment and save money.
Article Last Modified: 13:47, 13th Feb 2010
energy efficiency | general

Drying Clothes Indoors
Tips on drying clothes indoors without a tumble drier
Article Last Modified: 13:47, 13th Feb 2010
energy efficiency | general

Gas Tumble Dryers
Find out about the benefits of gas powered tumble driers
Article Last Modified: 11:55, 31st Jan 2009
heating | general | shopping | carbon | energy efficiency

Wireless Electricity Monitors
Up to date details of the wireless electricity monitors for sale in the UK
Article Last Modified: 13:51, 19th Mar 2010
shopping | energy efficiency | carbon

PowerSafer
Save electricity with a PowerSafer - a device which cuts power to appliances left in standby mode
Article Last Modified: 08:52, 19th May 2007
energy efficiency | shopping

Can You Run Your Car On Biodiesel
Is your vehicle suitable for running on biodiesel?
Article Last Modified: 16:40, 2nd Jul 2008
biomass | transport

Tax on Biofuels
Paying the right tax to use home made biofuels in your vehicle
Article Last Modified: 09:34, 1st Mar 2007
biomass

EEStor Battery Ultracapacitor
Find out about a new battery for electric vehicles - 10 times the power of lead acid
Article Last Modified: 08:54, 2nd Feb 2007
storage | news | transport

Worlds First Air Powered Car
India to produce the world's first commercial vehicle powered by compressed air
Article Last Modified: 17:21, 25th May 2007
transport | news

© 2006-2010 REUK - All Rights Reserved
Page Last Updated on 2nd September 2010 at 02:24:32pm

Latest
Articles


Eco Kettle 2 Chrome
Save electricity with an efficient eco kettle - new improved chrome version
energy efficiency
15:25, 18th Aug 2010

OWL CM119 Wireless Energy Monitor
Find out more about the new OWL CM119 wireless electricity monitor
shopping
15:23, 18th Aug 2010

KC7783R PIR Module
Find out more about the economical and easy to use KC7783R PIR motion sensor module
electronics
15:16, 18th Aug 2010

PIR Sensors
Find out how to integrate PIR (passive infra red) sensors into renewable energy applications
electronics
15:16, 18th Aug 2010

LM317 High Current Voltage Regulator
Find out how to build an LM317T based high current voltage regulator
electric circuit
12:29, 17th Aug 2010

LM317 Voltage Calculator
A handy online output voltage calculator for the LM317, LM338, and other linear voltage regulators
electric circuit
12:29, 17th Aug 2010

Optocouplers
Find out more about optocouplers/optoisolators and their uses
electronics
13:33, 14th Aug 2010

Relays and Renewable Energy
Find out more about relays and their uses in renewable energy applications
electric circuit
13:33, 14th Aug 2010



REUK Shop

Popular Items


REUK SUPER TIMER
User programmable 12V powered 10A rated repeating relay timer. 1 second to 99 hours ON and OFF times
£19.99 each.
Complete Circuits



SOLAR PUMP CONTROLLER WITH RELAY
Solar water heating system microprocessor controlled circuit with fitted 10A relay
£25.99 each.
Complete Circuits



12 VOLT 5 WATT SOLAR PANEL
Waterproof 12 Volt 5 Watt Solar Panel with aluminium frame - 290mm x 205mm x 17mm with fitted 5m leads
£33.99 each.
Solar Power



300 WATT POWER INVERTER
Convert 12V DC battery power into 230 AC to power portable televisions, computers, video recorders etc. 300 Watt power rating - peak power 600 Watts
£29.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



CONVERTED PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL TIMER RELAY
Mains powered programmable timer converted to low voltage with relay board
£21.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



12 VOLT REGULATOR
Supply a fixed 12.0 Volt DC to your devices (up to 1 Amp output)
£4.99 each.
Complete Circuits



MR16 CERAMIC BULB HOLDER
Bulb holder for 12 Volt LED spotlight bulbs
£1.39 each.
Energy Efficient Lighting