Decrypting the energy label of a dryer is a bit like reading a book in German ... if you have never learned German, it is very often incomprehensible. To properly choose the dryer, you must first understand what is available on the market.

The heat pump dryer, the best on the market?

There are 3 types of tumble dryers on the market:

- The tumble dryer . It tends to disappear because it requires a special installation. This type of tumble dryer provides hot air through a ventilation system. It then discharges the water through a long exhaust duct (about 1 meter 20) that needs to be connected to a vent. In short, this system is more suitable for a house than an apartment. In addition to this constraint, the ventilated dryer is very energy intensive compared to its peers. It spends a lot of energy for results that are sometimes not up to par. To ban : the delicate linen, quickly damaged because of the resistance which heats too hard and which does not dry all the textiles. His good points : his low price. The average price of a tumble dryer is 200 €. It does not require any maintenance, no tank to empty or filter to clean.

- The classic condensing dryer . This is the most popular tumble dryer model on the market. It does not require sheaths or air vents, only an electrical outlet . The water is evacuated in a recycling bin that must be empty. Its weak points : It consumes all the same a lot of energy because of its resistance. We must also think about airing its housing because the evacuated water remains in the air and creates moisture source of mold and other annoyances. Strengths : Its installation is easy and its average price is reasonable: 350 €.

- The dryer with heat pump . This is the Rolls of tumble dryers. The resistance is replaced by a pump that recovers ambient air from the room to heat. With this system, the temperature is 2 times lower compared to 2 other types of tumble dryers. The water is also discharged into a container to be emptied regularly and condenser filters are to be cleaned with water. Its strengths : The energy consumption is visibly reduced thanks to the pump system. In addition, the dryer releases very little moisture and can be placed in a closet to save space. Convenient when you're out of place like in an apartment. The drying time is longer because the temperature is lower, but it allows to dry delicate textiles without damaging them.

What are the important criteria for choosing your tumble dryer?

- The energy consumption . Noted from A to G, it allows to know if the cycles of drying are very energy consuming or not. The A being the most interesting. Often, are added to the note, allowing sorting in the most economical devices.

- The efficiency of condensation . Either the ability to recover as much water as possible to avoid too much humidity in the room. Represented by letters, from A to G. The A, so the best note, means that 91 to 95% of the water is retained, only 5% are evacuated in the room. Be careful, the letter B is not necessarily a good note. This means that only 80% of the water is retained, 15% less than the A grade.

- The sound level . Represented by the decibels, the sound level is present on the characteristic card of the device. We pay most attention if we want to operate the machine at night or late at night, to avoid any disturbance sound.

- The duration of the standard cotton program at full load . This note designates the operating time for a standard program. If the duration of the program is long, it may mean that the dryer consumes a lot of energy. It is therefore a criterion to take into account if we want short and non-energy consuming cycles.

- The delayed start . This program is more and more present on the tumble dryers as on the washing machines. It allows you to program a washing and drying cycle in advance. So you can choose to run a cycle during off-peak hours to save on energy consumption.

Plus : electronic probes for even drying. Placed around the drum, these probes measure moisture and know when all the laundry is dry. The tumble dryer stops as soon as these probes consider the laundry as dry, allowing the cycle not to continue for nothing. So it saves time, energy consumption and it allows not to damage textiles with a heat that turns for nothing.

Warning: If there is a growing market, it is the washing machine drying condensing . Combining both a washing machine and a tumble dryer in one machine, it saves a lot of space. However, the amount of washed laundry can not be fully dried since the machine can only dry half of the washed laundry. If big machines are frequent, it is not a product to buy.

Thanks to Isabelle Feunteun, Head of Laundry Care Products for Miele.