Martin Lewis says dehumidifiers can cut costs rather than 'demon appliance'

As winter nears and the warm days for drying clothes vanish households are beginning to battle with do the laundry indoors

Martin Lewis says dehumidifiers can cut energy costs rather than 'demon appliance'

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Money-saving expert Martin Lewis is advising households to use a dehumidifier to help dry their clothes over something he has dubbed as a "demon appliance."

With the onset of colder weather, drying your freshly washed laundry outside gets more difficult, and so we turn to doing so inside. But with this, many face the indoor tribulations of mould, condensation, and musty clothes, opting to dry their clothes in the more costly, energy-consuming tumble dryer. However, Martin Lewis has offered a simpler solution that'll save on energy and in turn your pennies.

He recommends using dehumidifiers - an example of which is this De'Longhi model - as a more cost-effective alternative, capable of swiftly drying clothes without the risk of damp or mould.

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On an episode of The Martin Lewis Podcast, available on BBC Sounds, Spotify, and Apple, Music, Lewis explains: "Many dehumidifiers have different wattages – the one I checked out was 200W," reports the Express.

He further clarifies by providing a simple formula for calculation: "Once we know it's 200W and we know a kilowatt is 1,000W, which is how electricity tends to be priced, we know this is a fifth of a kilowatt."

Continuing on the specifics of costs, he states, "And you pay roughly 34p per kilowatt per hour. A fifth is 7p, so you're going to pay roughly 7p per hour to run a dehumidifier at 200W, assuming it uses full power the whole time."

Running a dehumidifier for an hour currently stands at approximately 5.5p, considering winter unit prices of 26p. In comparison, energy supplier Utilita estimates that a tumble dryer can cost between 53p to £1 per hour to run, which is ten to 20 times more.

But what's the best dehumidifier?

After taking a look, here are some suggestions:

The Pro Breeze 12L dehumidifier comes with built-in laundry drying settings and a 12-litre tank, allowing you to use it multiple times before needing to empty the tray. It's available on Amazon for just £134.99.

While this might seem steep initially, it's much cheaper than running a tumble dryer and less costly than fixing mould damage in the long run. Devola offers a larger 20L model that also includes an air purifier, enabling you to enhance your home's air quality while removing moisture and drying your clothes.

The larger 20L model costs £179.99, while the smaller 12L version is priced at £119.06. Both models feature a quiet run mode at just 38db, quieter than a fridge.

The EcoAir DD1 7L is slightly smaller but its slim profile will fit more easily into a living room. It has a laundry setting and runs quietly at just 34db, making it the quietest model here.

Priced slightly higher at £229.98, it's the most sophisticated model here with numerous settings, an app for connectivity, and glowing reviews. There are some cheap portable options available, but these lack laundry settings and aren't recommended for drying clothes as they won't be powerful enough or have sufficient water storage.

Shopping writer Sam Jones loves his dehumidifier and said of this home buy: "I purchased the Russell Hobbs 10L dehumidifier (£129 at Dunelm) and it instantly made a noticeable difference. It not only put an end to the overnight window condensation, but it now allows me to dry clothes on an airer on rainy days, without having to switch on the heating.

"All you have to do is turn it on, shut the door in the room it's in and let it do its thing. It does take a good few hours, particularly with thicker items like towels, but it's nice to have the option to save some money while energy costs are still high."

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