In the market for laundry, high efficiency washers are everywhere. High efficiency front and hybrid top loading machines use turbidity sensors to measure how dirty your clothes are and use energy and water as needed.
High efficiency washers also have higher spin speeds than ever before. They spin your clothes almost dry to avoid long dry times.
Up until the heat pump dryer was introduced, dryers were not really even rated by EnergyStar for efficiency. My recommendation before the heat pump was to buy a washer with a high spin speed.
Heat Pump Dryers
What is a heat pump dryer? It is actually a refrigeration system similar to a compressor to dry and recycle the same air. Traditional dryers heat the air inside the dryer to evaporate moisture from your clothing. They then send hot, moist air out of the dryer through an external vent.
Instead of sending hot, moist air outside, heat pump dryers recycle this air to decrease energy consumption by up to 60%. Many heat pump dryers are also ventless.
The ventless component is an especially good feature. You can now place laundry anywhere in your house without needing a vent. You can bring the laundry upstairs, because all you need is water and 220 volt power. For builders, you do not need to cut multiple holes in a building.
Let's look at both companies...
Whirlpool
Whirlpool is an American based company right out of Michigan. It is America’s largest manufacturer of laundry appliances, recently surpassing Electrolux in becoming the largest home appliance producer in the world.
Whirlpool Corporation manufactures for major brands like Maytag, Amana, Kenmore, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air. They are popular in Latin America and Europe where efficiency is a requirement.
Whirlpool WED99HEDW - $1,699.99
- Whirlpool's Most Efficient Dryer
- Installs in More Places
- Advanced Moisture Sensing
- HybridCare Energy Options
- ENERGY STAR(R) Qualified
- Tap Touch Controls with Memory
- SingleSwipe Lint Screen
- 7.3 Cu. Ft. Capacity
- Stainless Steel Dryer Drum
- Wrinkle Shield Option
- Quick Dry Cycle
- Bulky Cycle
- Heavy Duty Cycle
- Designed, Engineered and Assembled in the U.S.A.
Blomberg
Blomberg is a quality and trusted name in the European household appliances market. Owned by the Turkish Arcelik, the 3rd largest appliance manufacturer in Europe, Blomberg has gained a sizeable presence in the average European home with a full array of products. Turkey is the home of many appliance manufacturers, from Blomberg compact laundry to Gaggenau, Bosch and Thermador refrigerators.
Blomberg DHP24412W - $1,599
- 4.1 cu. ft.
- 14 drying cycles
- LED digital display
- OptiSense Automatic sensor drying
- Bi-directional drum action
- Auto anti-creasing cycle
- Aquawave structured stainless steel drum
- Clean filter indicator light
- Child lock
- Reversible door
- Automatic direct drain
- Energy star qualified
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 33 1/4 x 23 3/8 x 23 3/4 in
Other Benefits of Heat Pump Dryers
Heat pump dryers reduce energy consumption by approximately 40% in the most efficient setting. This savings translates to approximately $430 over the life of the dryer. The EPA estimates a heat pump dryer could save enough energy in a year to run an ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer for 10 months. It can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 5,000 lbs in its lifetime. Multiply that by how many homes have dryers and that is a serious savings.
This article is more about awareness of what is available out there than a typical appliance faceoff blog. Since both of these machines vary vastly in size (compact vs. full size) it’s more of a matter of what applies best for your application. Whirlpool is bigger, but at 24 inch Blomberg can be placed in more spaces like under a kitchen counter or small closet.
There are benefits to this type of drying. First because it does not pull outside air, heat pump dryers are 50% more efficient than regular drying.
Having a gas dryer myself I hope there will be something similar available in the near future as these are currently only available in electric.
Blomberg, Whirlpool and LG are first to market, but Miele and Electrolux among others are already marketing a product in Europe. In the next 5 years, heat pump technology should surpass existing dryers.
Recommended Reads
Additional Resources
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