Everything you need to know before you buy a clothes dryer in Australia

If you’d rather take an emergency trip to the dentist than face another load of laundry, you’ll probably welcome anything into your life that will make this household chore a little quicker and easier. Enter the humble tumble dryer.

In this article we look at the ins and outs of the various types of dryer you can buy in Australia. From how they work, and the costs involved in buying and running them, to energy efficiency and managing laundry space, we weigh up the pros and cons of heat pump, vented, condenser and gas dryers.

Whether you’re doing your research before buying your first dryer, or you’re replacing your old one, here’s everything you need to know.

A vented dryer is a type of clothes dryer that expels moist air outside through a venting hose or duct. It heats air and passes it through your wet laundry, effectively drying your clothes by removing moisture. To operate efficiently, this dryer should be installed near an external wall or window where the vent hose can be connected to let the damp air escape outdoors.

Vented dryers are favored for their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. They tend to be less expensive to purchase and operate than other types of dryers, making them a great option if your home accommodates the venting requirements. Just ensure the venting setup allows for easy expulsion of moist air to optimize performance.

Heat pump clothes dryers pass heated air through the machine’s drum. Instead of using a heat exchanger, like traditional condenser dryers do, they use smart heat pump technology. This condenses the humid air into vapour, and reuses much of its heat within the dryer instead of pumping it out into your laundry.

Heat pump tumble dryers collect the leftover vapour/water in a condensation container, which can either be manually emptied or connected to a drain by a water drain hose that automatically empties it. This technology enables heat pump dryers to be ventless and makes them the best option in terms of energy efficiency and lower electricity bills.

Condenser tumble dryers blow hot air through the machine’s drum to evaporate water from wet laundry. This evaporation is then passed through a heat exchanger, which condenses the moist air into water. This is collected in an internal water tank, or reservoir, which can either be manually emptied, or connected to a drain by a water drain hose that automatically empties it.

Condenser dryers have low energy efficiency of 2 Energy Stars - the same as vented dryers, but they cost considerably more. These days, there are not many condenser models on the market, as the focus has shifted to more energy efficient heat pump dryers, which cost similar to buy but a lot less to run.

Gas dryers are clothes dryers that burn gas to produce the heat needed to dry laundry. The gas can either be supplied by LPG gas canisters or via plumbed mains natural gas. When shopping for gas dryers, the models will specify either LPG or Natural gas in their name.

Gas dryers can provide quick but gentle drying, and, like vented electric dryers, smaller gas dryers (4-6kg capacity) are light enough to be bench or wall mounted. They cost more to buy than vented dryers, but similar to some heat pump dryers. Additional set up costs may also be involved due to gas plumbing and ventilation requirements (see below).

For plumbed gas, the property has to be connected to the gas mains, so check that this is the case before buying a natural gas dryer. For LPG dryers, the gas canisters are kept externally and connected to the dryers via piping that goes through the wall. For both options, you will need to ensure that your laundry is already set up for a gas connection, or get a certified gas fitter to instal the necessary gas plumbing (provided you own the property or have the owner’s permission).

Gas dryers also require external ventilation through the wall or roof. If the laundry has previously had a gas dryer it should have ventilation already set up, otherwise you will need to buy separate exhaust ducting and have it installed.

Depending on the type of dryer you choose, prices can vary from under $500 (for some vented models) to thousands of dollars, so there’s one to suit your budget. However, if spending less in the long run is your goal, it’s not necessarily in your best interests to buy the cheapest model of dryer you can find.

It’s worth looking at more energy efficient heat pump tumble dryers, because although they are more expensive to buy in the first place, they are a lot cheaper to run than vented models. In fact, the lower running costs that the higher Energy Star rating models can achieve can offset or even eclipse the higher initial purchase price over time.

No, this is no longer always the case. Heat pump models are actually very affordable to run.

Vented dryers are usually the cheapest dryer to buy, but they are more expensive to run because they are much less energy efficient.

Heat pump models, on the other hand, usually cost significantly more, but have much lower running costs because their technology makes them very energy efficient.

If you find an electric dryer that you like the look of, you can use the government’s Energy Rating Calculator to check the energy and dollar costs of running that specific model.

If you are considering a gas dryer, you won’t be able to compare its energy efficiency with electric models as easily. As a source of energy, gas has historically been cheaper than electricity, making it an economical choice when it comes to generating heat. Since 2020, however, costs have increased significantly, with the cost of gas rising over 300% in Australia and forecast to increase even more dramatically in the years ahead - so this running cost advantage is no longer assured. Gas dryers also require electricity to run, so you will still need to ensure you have sufficient power outlets in your laundry, in addition to the gas connection.

Older dryers with low energy stars use a lot more energy, but a modern heat pump dryer uses clever technology that drastically reduces energy consumption, especially on its eco settings.

All heat pump tumble dryers - which now make up the majority of new dryers - have at least 6 Energy Stars, and most have between 7 and 9 stars. This means they use much less energy than vented dryers, which usually have a 2-star energy rating.

Of course, you can use your dryer in tandem with line drying your washing, which is both free and environmentally friendly! If you have the time, space and good weather, hanging your laundry outside on a washing line is a smart choice - but it is at the mercy of the elements and other factors. When hanging washing outside isn’t possible, you can hang it indoors on drying racks, which even has some advantages over outdoor drying, but it can take a long time to dry in cold or humid conditions, which can also lead to musty smelling clothes.

Dryers come in a range of capacities, from 4kg to 10kg, so you can choose one that suits households of all sizes, from individuals and couples to large families. Heat pump dryers offer the largest capacity. Vented dryers and small gas dryers offer the lowest capacity.

It is important to know that dryer capacities refer to the maximum actual weight of the laundry that is being put into it - not how much that laundry might weigh when it’s dry. Of course, you will only ever put wet clothes into your dryer. This means that if you transferred a full load of wet laundry from a 7kg capacity washing machine straight into a 7kg capacity dryer, the weight you put in would actually be considerably higher than 7kg, because of the water it’s holding. Wet clothes can weigh twice as much as dry ones, so that 7kg load of dirty dry clothes could have become a 14kg load of clean wet ones, which is too heavy to put into a dryer. Dryers will detect this overloading and will not start the drying cycle until you have reduced the weight of the load.

The spin cycle you use in your washing machine will affect how much water is removed from your laundry, with higher spins removing more water. You may not want to use fast spins for delicate materials though, so you can’t always remove the maximum amount of water prior to putting clothes in the dryer.

Most heat pump dryers, condenser dryers and vented dryers are about the same size in terms of their height and width, but their capacity (how much laundry they can fit inside them) can affect their depth. Gas dryers have different sizes to these other types of dryer, and also vary more according to capacity.

The following dimensions provide a rough guide, but you should always measure the space you have in your laundry and then check the individual specs of any dryer that you’re considering buying. This way, you can make sure that it fits under a benchtop and between other appliances, and doesn’t protrude too far into the laundry room.

A lack of floor space for another large appliance doesn’t mean you have to go without. If you have space in your laundry above your washing machine, you should be able to place a dryer there, without taking up any additional floorspace. Heat pump, vented, condenser and smaller gas dryers can usually be stacked, using the appropriate branded stacking kit. Vented dryers and small gas dryers are also light enough to be wall mountable.

As well as making good use of vertical space, both of these approaches have the benefit of positioning the dryer in a way that doesn’t require you to bend over when adding or removing clothes. Vented dryers can usually be wall-mounted upside down as well, so that the controls are within easy reach, and will often come with stickers so that you can re-label the controls to be the right way up.

If you have a vented or smaller gas dryer, you should be able to attach it to the wall using the wall mounting brackets that come with the dryer. You cannot do this with heat pump or condenser dryers, or with large (9kg capacity) gas dryers, because they are too heavy.

Think about the wall space you want the dryer to be attached to: is it tiled, and will it therefore require a special masonry drill? Are there any power points, air vents or other ‘obstructions’ that might prevent the dryer being placed there? If you’re good with DIY, you should be able to wall mount the dryer yourself - otherwise you can add ‘Dryer installation’ to your shopping cart when ordering your new appliance.

Wall mounting is a particularly good option if you have a top loading washing machine, because you can’t stack a dryer on top of a toploader. You can, however, wall mount a dryer a little higher up the wall so that you can still easily access the toploader’s door. If you rent, you will need to seek permission from the agent or landlord before installing wall mounting brackets.

When you book a dryer installation service, the installer will make sure the wall and area is able to safely accommodate the dryer, before carrying out the necessary drilling and fixing of the brackets and securing the dryer. A thorough installation should also include a demonstration of how the dryer works. If you were to need new power points, adjustments made to cabinetry, or ducting to be installed, these would have additional costs.

If you’re thinking of choosing a vented dryer rather than a heat pump dryer because it’s cheaper to buy, it’s worth considering these points. A ‘cheaper’ vented dryer that requires more paid trade work, and will cost you a lot more to run due to lower energy efficiency, may well end up costing you more than a heat pump dryer. Heat pump dryers have a higher purchase price, but they don’t require ventilation and they will save you a lot of money on running costs because they are much more energy efficient.

Another option is to stack your heat pump dryer, condenser dryer or vented dryer on top of your front loader washing machine (never the other way around because washing machines are heavier).

To do this, your dryer will need to have the same, or smaller, dimensions (width and depth) as the washing machine. For heat pump and condenser dryers, you will need to use a stacking kit, a device that fits between the appliances to absorb vibrations while they’re running and keep them sitting safely as one fixed unit.

Stacking kits are usually designed to fix two appliances from the same brand together, but if you need to stack one make of vented dryer on top of a different brand of front loader washing machine, you can place a simple rubber washer/dryer mat between them.

Again: heat pump and condenser dryers are heavier, so must be stacked using an appropriate stacking kit to avoid accident and injury!

If you’re looking to stack your current or future appliances, you’ll find everything you need to know about stacking washers and dryers here.

If you live in a smaller or studio apartment, or if you lack space in your laundry and stacking or wall mounting a dryer is not an option, you might want to consider a washer dryer combo. This appliance combines the performance of a front load washing machine and a condenser dryer (and therefore doesn’t require ventilation).

Washer dryer combos allow you to either just wash, just dry, or combine both functions into one seamless cycle. However, the drying capacity will be less than the washing capacity, so if you are choosing a combined cycle, you cannot load the drum to maximum washing capacity - instead, you would load it to maximum drying capacity. The machine will generally provide automatic guidance on this.

Vented dryers have the quickest drying times, but are less energy efficient, with a 2 Energy Star Rating. A small to regular load may take between 30 minutes to an hour in a vented dryer, while heavier materials may take longer.

Although they have many other advantages, heat pump dryers take considerably longer than vented machines to dry clothes. While some models do have fast cycle settings that can dry very small loads of a few items in just half an hour or so (that non-negotiable netball dress or must-wear party outfit, for example), a regular load may take a couple of hours or more.

However, despite running for longer, heat pump dryers are much more energy efficient, with all models having between 6-10 energy stars. The lower heat, slower dry is also gentler on fabric. Unless you always need a very fast turnaround time between washing and drying your clothes, a heat pump dryer will therefore generally be a better option.

In addition to the general wiping down and lint removal that all dryers require (see above), heat pump dryers need the additional step of cleaning the condenser of any dust or dirt every two or three months. The condenser in heat pump dryers is fixed in place, so needs to be cleaned with a soft cleaning brush and then vacuumed, using the brush attachment of your regular vacuum cleaner.

Some high end heat pump dryers have self-cleaning condensers, and while it’s unlikely to be a make-or-break, it’s worth checking if this is a feature of any machine you might be considering buying.

The advantage of a heat pump dryer or a condenser dryer over a vented or gas dryer is that you don’t have to deal with the issue of hot wet air being pumped into your laundry - you can just plug it in and you’re good to go. With a gas dryer, you need to have effective external ventilation installed, and for a vented dryer, you need either proper ventilation, or to have doors and windows open to avoid turning your laundry into a steamy wet room. Gas dryers also need more infrastructure in terms of gas connections.

The heat pump dryer has the added advantages of being more cost and energy efficient to run, despite having a similar price range to condenser dryers.

The vented dryer will likely be the cheaper type to buy in the first place, but the higher running costs compared to a heat pump dryer may well cancel this benefit out. As power prices rise, energy saving is an increasingly important point to consider.

The main advantage of vented dryers and smaller gas dryers is their lighter weight, which enables them to be wall mountable. If stacking a dryer directly on top of your washing machine isn’t possible - due to laundry layout or it being a top loading washer - but wall mounting is an option, a vented dryer may be more appealing.

Your own circumstances and preferences will influence your decision when it comes to choosing a dryer. The size of your household, lifestyle and hobbies (specifically sports), and how frequently you plan to use it, among other things. If a fast drying speed is the key factor for you, a vented model might be your preference. If space, budget and lifestyle allow, however, and you’re happy with the slightly longer drying times that come with reduced energy usage and running costs, a heat pump clothes dryer is probably the best choice.

Appliances Online now offers around twice as many heat pump dryers as it does vented dryers, though there are still plenty of vented models available to choose from.

Hopefully this article has answered any questions you might have had about clothes dryers, but if you have any other queries you can call the friendly Appliances Online team on 1300 004 500 at any time (literally, our Australian-based Support Team is on call 24/7).

So, once you’ve got your washing and drying sorted, you'll just need an appliance to fold your laundry and put it all away. We’ll get back to you on that one!