If you're currently kitting out your utility room with new appliances, you may be weighing up a heat pump vs condenser dryer for your laundry.
While vented tumble dryers were once the only option – requiring venting via a hole in an external wall or an extraction pipe temporarily extended outside through a window or door – condenser and heat pump dryers changed this with the inclusion of a removable water tank that can easily be emptied in the sink and returned to the machine.
As neither option requires plumbing, making them equal in terms of ease of use, the decision between a heat pump and a condenser tumble dryer primarily comes down to two factors: convenience and cost.
Heat pump vs condenser dryer: which is best?
While knowing what a heat pump tumble dryer and condenser dryer are is a great starting point for your research, "the choice between convenience and cost comes down to what you want from them," says Gwilym Snook, category buyer at AO.
With one option drying clothes quicker and the other saving you money, busier households may decide to accept a small increase in running costs for the convenience of having clothes ready to wear more quickly. Whereas others may decide they are happy to wait a bit longer if it means saving cash.
Quick overview
Heat pump dryer
- ✅Energy efficient
- ✅Cheaper to run
- ✅Tend to be quieter
- ❌Higher upfront cost
Condenser dryer
- ✅Cheaper upfront cost
- ✅Dries your clothes quicker
- ❌Not as energy efficient
- ❌Higher longterm running costs
- ❌Can damage your clothes due to higher temperatures
Gwil has worked as part of the AO family for the past four years with a specialised focus in the heated laundry category. He is the company's in-house expert with a wealth of experience and knowledge across a wide variety of household appliances.
Heat pump vs condenser dryer: noise levels
Due to the nature of the technology used in heat pump dryers, they can be quieter than condenser dryers, according to the experts at AO. Vented dryers, in particular, tend to be noisier, as they constantly generate hot air and expel it via a fan.
If noise is a deciding factor, look for laundry appliances featuring the Quiet Mark symbol, which have all been tested and approved by the organisation.
🏆Winner: Heat pump dryers🏆
Check out these heat pump tumble dryers
This heat pump tumble dryer comes with smart connectivity, sensor drying, mid-drying load options and steam cleaning.
This Samsung dryer prevents damage to your clothing and features smart controls, a delay timer and an AirWash programme to freshen up laundry.
On the budget end of the scale is this heat pump tumble dryer by HotPoint. It has a 9kg drum capacity with a Pre-Iron cycle option as well as its ActiveCare technology to reduce creases in your clothing.
Heat pump vs condenser dryer: drying temperatures
A condenser dryer will generally operate at around 70-75°C, whereas a heat pump dryer reaches a maximum temperature of 50°C.
However, AO’s drying expert, Natasha Payne, warns that this could lead to clothing damage in the long run.
🏆Winner: Condenser dryer🏆
Condenser tumble dryer options for your home
This Hotpoint model has a 9kg drum capacity and features a digital display, sensor drying and a rapid 14-minute cycle.
This cost-effective tumble dryer takes an 8kg load and allows you to connect the hose directly to a drainpipe, so you won’t need to empty the tank.
With a roomy 9kg drum, handy sensor drying to save time and energy, and an anti-allergy program to remove bacteria and allergens, this offering from Hoover can be controlled from an app on your phone.
Heat pump vs condenser dryer: drying times
Despite the claims that condenser dryers are much quicker, the reality is, the time difference may not be as much as you think.
The most accurate way of checking is to look at the energy rating label for a dryer which will show you how long a drying cycle will take and how much energy it's expected to use.
Most retailers will provide this on the website. As an example, the 7000 Sensidry Heat Pump Tumble Dryer (available on Appliances Direct) has a 178-minute cycle, whereas the Bosch Series 4 Condenser Dryer has a 150-minute cycle.
A 28-minute difference may seem a lot until you realise that the estimated kWh use per annum is substantially different. The AEG 7000 Sensidry is estimated to use 235kWh per annum, compared to 560kWh for the Bosch Series 4.
🏆Winner: Heat pump dryer🏆
Heat pump vs condenser dryer: cost
As the data shows, "heat pump tumble dryers are typically more expensive to buy upfront," says Gwilym Snook, "but this price is balanced off by cheaper energy bills, better technology and the fact they are kinder to your clothes when compared to condenser dryers."
According to Natasha Payne, a heat pump dryer costs between £0.20–£0.60 per cycle to run, while condenser dryers cost around £0.60 –£1.34. This means a heat pump dryer is £0.44–£0.74 cheaper per cycle, so if you ran one cycle per day, you could save £160–£270 per year.
"As there is no heating element involved in running heat pump dryers, they allow households to save a huge amount of energy per cycle," adds Vivien Fodor, laundry category manager at Indesit.
🏆Winner: Heat pump dryer🏆
Vivien started work at Indesit in 2018, gaining a wide variety of experience in both manufacturing and marketing. In her current role of category manager, she is able to share expert knowledge on washing machines and tumble dryers.
Are condenser dryers being phased out?
Yes, due to their poor energy-efficiency, condenser dryers are slowly starting to be phased out in the UK, confirms Natasha Payne.
"Condenser dryers are still able to be sold to consumers, however, they must comply to strict government guidelines when it comes to energy-efficiency. This is to encourage households to opt for more eco-friendly options, like heat pump dryers.”
When you weigh up the marginal extra time for drying clothes compared to the annual running costs, the extra expense of a heat pump dryer appears to be more than worth it in the long run.
If you're planning on installing one of these appliances, just remember to ensure that you have allowed for sufficient home ventilation and checked whether a utility room needs an extractor fan.
