Tumble dryer setting that could be adding nearly £30 to your energy bills

Tumble dryer setting that could be adding nearly £30 to your energy bills With household energy prices rising again, one tumble-dryer setting could leave some families paying more As wetter September weather arrives, and the heatwaves of summer are well in our rear-view mirrors, households may find themselves turning to the old reliable tumble dryer more often - but how you use it could be having an affect on your energy bills. It comes as Ofgem prepares to increase its energy price cap by 4 per cent from October, taking the figure for a typical dual-fuel household paying by Direct Debit to £1,723 a year. The regulator's latest increase follows a 13 per cent rise in the cap in July, meaning households already facing higher energy costs are heading into autumn with another increase on the horizon. That makes seemingly small changes to the appliance use worth considering, particularly for people who regularly dry clothes indoors. Homeowners are being told to question a timed programme or a dryness level that is higher than necessary for the load. Automatic sensor programmes work differently because moisture sensors can determine when laundry has reached the selected level of dryness. Bosch manuals, for example, list Iron Dry, Cupboard Dry and Cupboard Dry Plus options and explain that selecting a higher degree of dryness can increase programme duration. Electricity bill assistance expert at Felons Resource Dawn Yates explained: "Check the dryness setting as well as the programme. Clothes going straight into a wardrobe need a different finish from items you plan to iron. Choosing the setting for that load can avoid paying for drying time you do not need." The Energy Saving Trust says washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers together account for 14 per cent of a typical energy bill, making them among the most energy-hungry household appliances. It also says avoiding a tumble dryer and drying clothes on a line or suitable indoor rack could save around £50 a year in Great Britain, although individual savings vary. According to recent calculations, opting for a cycle that saves 0.6 kWh per use - based on three loads a week at an average electricity cost of 30p per kWh - adds up to an annual saving of 93.6 kWh, or £28.08 a year. While the mathematics are precise, industry experts caution that this figure is an illustrative example rather than a guaranteed forecast. Actual household savings will fluctuate based on local energy tariffs, individual usage habits, and the specific efficiency profile of the appliance. For a personal calculation, compare the electricity used by the same type of load on a sensor cycle and a timed or higher-dryness programme. Multiply the difference by the number of weekly loads, 52 and the household's actual tariff, rather than estimating the cost from the dryer's rated wattage and cycle length. Heat-pump dryers can generally use less electricity than conventional condenser models, although their programmes can take longer, so a longer cycle does not automatically mean a higher running cost. Households should follow clothing care labels, stay within the machine's stated capacity and choose the lowest suitable dryness level for what they intend to do with the clothes.