Martin Lewis' alternative to 'demon appliance' will save you money this winter

The financial expert has shared how Brits can save money this winter by ditching 'demon appliance' tumble dryers and using a 'cheaper' alternative instead

Money-saving expert Martin Lewis is urging the Brits to give their tumble dryers a miss, referring to them as 'demon appliances' and instead, consider a more wallet-friendly option. As winter approaches, many households are challenged with drying their laundry indoors, risking problems like mould, dampness, and that lingering damp smell when clothes don't dry well.

Yet, Martin suggests switching to a dehumidifier could be the key to keeping costs down amidst these hard-hitting economic times. Speaking on The Martin Lewis Podcast available for a listen on platforms such as BBC Sounds, Spotify, and Apple Music Martin delved into specifics: "Many dehumidifiers have different wattages the one I checked out was 200W."

He further clarified the energy usage by pointing out, "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."

READ NEXT:Drivers warned they could face 'unlimited' fines for simple parking mistake

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here.

Getting to the nub of the matter on expenses, he stated: "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."

With the recent slashes in energy prices, he elucidated that using a dehumidifier now would cost about 5.5p an hour, based on the current rate of 26p per unit this season, as reported by the Express. This expense is slight compared to Utilita's estimated cost for tumble dryer use, which ranges from 53p up to £1 an hour that's nearly ten to twenty times more costly, reports the Mirror.

So, what dehumidifier should be on your shopping list?

The Pro Breeze 12L dehumidifier, featuring built-in laundry drying settings and a sizeable 12-litre tank for extended use before emptying, is currently available on Amazon for £134.99. Despite the initial cost, this dehumidifier can prove more economical than constantly using a tumble dryer and dealing with mould repairs over time.

If you're in need of something with a bit more capacity, Devola's 20L dehumidifier also hosts an integrated air purifier to enhance your home's air quality while mitigating moisture and assisting with laundry drying, priced at £179.99, with a smaller 12L version available for just £119.06.

Our shopping writer, Sam Jones, opted for the Russell Hobbs 10L dehumidifier and found it to be transformative. Priced at £129 from Dunelm or for a slightly reduced £118.95 on Amazon, he reported: "It not only eliminated the overnight window condensation, but it now allows me to dry clothes on an airer on rainy days, without having to turn on the heating."

He adds: "You simply turn it on, shut the door of the room it's in and it starts working. It takes quite a few hours, especially with thicker items like towels, but it's nice to have the option to save some money while energy costs are still high."

Jones also mentioned, "If any thick items are really wet, I just get the remaining moisture out in the tumble dryer, but it takes much less time and saves a lot of electricity. It also means the house doesn't have the dreaded clothes draped all over the radiators over winter which is a real pet hate of mine."

Highlighting the downsides, he mentioned: "Dehumidifiers aren't exactly a bargain to buy and this particular model is somewhat noisy."

"It does have a 'silent' button which reduces the noise, but calling it 'silent' seems an oversight as it's far from silent. A more accurate label for that mode would be 'quiet', as it does reduce the noise but doesn't completely eliminate it."

"Personally, I'm not too bothered by the noise. I sleep with a fan on in the summer and don't mind the white noise, so it's not vastly different to that."