Money-saving expert Martin Lewis shares his home drying hack that costs just 7p per hour and can also be used to manage a damp home.
The finance gurus have revealed a way that allows you to dry your clothes without turning on the heat, as well as manage the humidity in your home during the cold season. Running for only 7 hours per hour, homes can save a lot of money on energy bills by switching to a dehumidifier.
Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast "The Martin Lewis", listeners submitted their questions to users on how to save money on drying clothes.
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Despite the "upfront capital expenditure" of buying a dehumidifier, Martin explains that they operate at a sunk cost of 7p per hour. He said: "Many people now use dehumidifiers to dry clothes indoors."
He then explains how the product works: "Dehumidifiers draw water from the air instead of using heat, and they are much lower energy devices than standard heaters."
"A lot of dehumidifiers come in different wattages, the one I reviewed was 200 watts. Since we are 200 watts and we know that one kilowatt equals 1000 watts, which is the cost of electricity, we know it is one fifth of a kilowatt."
"And you're paying about 34p per kilowatt per hour. A fifth is 7p, so you're paying about 7p per hour to run a 200-watt dehumidifier assuming full power the whole time. That's usually a lot cheaper than running a heater." .
"If a dehumidifier works for you, obviously there will be lower electricity bills, but obviously you have the up-front capital to buy a dehumidifier and see how it works for you," concludes Martin.
The initial cost of a dehumidifier can be £120 or more, but the lower operating costs will more than pay off the product in the long run. However, for the smaller model and 500ml capacity, prices start at £44 or so.
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