Drying clothes indoors can be tricky, but you may be causing a surge in your energy bills warns experts at Which? As they shared some easy ways to make sure you’re doing it the most cost-effective way
If you dry your clothes on radiators, listen up as you may be making your energy bills soar.
Drying clothes can be a pain, especially if you’re unable to hang them outside, and while it would make sense to hang them over a radiator to dry quicker, it could be racking up your bills. However, there’s an easy fix for this.
The rookie error of using radiators actually traps heat, rather than letting heat escape, which in turn could mean your radiators need to be on for longer. Doing this could also lead to mould growth – something no homeowner wants to deal with.
The experts at consumer website Which? Shared the importance of why you should avoid hanging clothes on radiators in a post on their Instagram page. They claimed that doing this could end up costing you more money in the long run, as well as an increased risk of mould.
The experts explained that if you set your heating to 20 degrees, your radiators will heat the room until it reaches that temperature, and at this point, the boiler will stop. But if there are wet or damp clothes over the radiator, they can “act as a barrier to the heat.” The expert explained: “This means you could be heating your room for a lot longer than you need to.” So it may dry your clothes quicker, but you won’t feel the full benefits of having your heating on and end up with a cold home as well as potential mould.
The experts suggested an easy fix to dry your clothes and said placing an airer next to a radiator is a much better and cost-effective way. “It might take longer, but helps the air to circulate around the room,” they said, and added: “If you want to speed that up, you might want to buy a heated airer.”
However, Ofgem recently announced its energy price cap will fall by 12.3 per cent from this April, providing a somewhat false sense of relief for cash-strapped Brits. These figures will only apply from April-June so you won’t see a substantial saving unless the price cap continues to fall or remain the same.
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