If you’ve been searching for a new tumble dryer then you’ll likely have come across either condenser or heat pump models. But what do they mean and is one better than the other?
To help make things easier, we’ve compared the main features of the two most popular tumble dryers and highlighted the key differences between them, here in our condenser vs heat pump guide.
You may also have come across a vented dryer while searching for your new tumble dryer. While this isn’t a popular choice, we explain where a vented model compares, in our comprehensive condenser vs vented vs heat pump guide. Otherwise, be sure to visit our dedicated articles explaining what is a condenser dryer and what is a heat pump dryer to learn more.
Once you’re ready to buy, our best tumble dryers list will show you the appliances that came top of our rigorous tests.
Condenser tumble dryers are generally cheaper to buy
Overall, condenser tumble dryers tend to be cheaper to buy upfront, as they generally tend to lack some of the premium features found in pricier alternatives. Plus, unlike vented dryers which require an external vent, a condenser dryer doesn’t have a bothersome installation process and can be placed anywhere within reason in the home. However, it’s worth noting that the same applies for the heat pump dryers, as they can also be placed in most places in the home.
It’s advisable that you tread lightly here as although condenser tumble dryers may be cheaper to initially buy, they are usually much more expensive to run than heat pump dryers.
Heat pump tumble dryers are more energy efficient
One of the main benefits of a heat pump dryer is that it’s considerably more energy efficient than a condenser dryer. While we haven’t reviewed a standalone condenser tumble dryer, we have reviewed the Indesit BDE 107436 WV UK two-in-one washer and condenser dryer. We found its hanging dry cycle resulted in over 2.387kWh of energy used. To put this into context, the exact same setting on the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1 heat pump dryer used just 0.813kWh.
Of course, high energy usage naturally results in much higher running costs too. While the Haier HD90-A3Q397U1 cost just 20p to run its cycle, the Indesit BDE 107436 WV UK cost over a whopping 70p, making it one of the most expensive appliances we’ve seen.
Heat pump tumble dryers use lower temperatures
A condenser tumble dryer relies on hot air of around 70-75°C to heat and remove moisture from your wet washing, while a heat pump dryer sends air to the drum which is then heated to absorb the moisture from your clothes. The air is then passed through an evaporator and cooled to extract the water and send it to a tank. Finally, this process is repeated, with the air reused throughout the cycle.
This process means a heating element isn’t required in a heat pump, as the air is recycled around the appliance but is still warm enough to efficiently dry your laundry.
Condenser tumble dryers dry clothes faster
Generally, condenser dryers dry clothes much faster than a heat pump tumble dryer. As a heat pump dryer relies on recycled warm air to dry clothes, while this does make them more energy efficient than other types of dryers, it can mean heat pumps take longer to operate.
Otherwise, condenser dryers’ use of hot air to dry fabrics means wet loads should dry quickly.
Heat pump tumble dryers are gentler on fabrics
Following on from the above point, the fact that heat pump dryers run at lower temperatures than condenser dryers actually benefits clothes and helps them last longer. Essentially, lower temperatures mean less friction is generated, which prevents damage to clothing fibres and colours from fading too.
In fact, we found the cupboard dry setting on the Indesit BDE 107436 WV UK condenser washer dryer resulted in 102.49% of our load’s moisture being removed, which shows that some of the clothes’ fibres were lost in the process. Even in the hanging dry setting, which is supposed to be gentler, we still saw 100.83% moisture was removed.
Comparatively, the heat pump Haier HD90-A3Q397U1’s cupboard dry setting (which Haier coins Ready To Wear) removed 99.17% of water from the load, which means it was almost perfectly dried.
Even so, make sure you check your garment’s laundry symbols before attempting to put it in the tumble dryer, as some fabrics require specific settings or can’t be tumble dried at all. You can also use your iPhone to check laundry symbols too.
Are heat pumps better than condensers?
We would argue that a heat pump tumble dryer is a better choice than a condenser. Having said that, it’s fair to understand why someone might opt for a condenser model – mainly as they usually have a much cheaper price than a heat pump.
Not only that, but condenser models also promise to dry clothes faster too, although some heat pump dryers might challenge this. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why a condenser tumble dryer might appeal to, say, a busy family who want an inexpensive tumble dryer than can dry multiple loads quickly.
However, we’d recommend keeping in mind that a heat pump dryer is more energy efficient, which means it will end up being cheaper to run in the long run compared to a condenser. In addition, heat pump dryers are gentler on fabrics too. Yes, they’re usually more expensive to buy outright, but the benefits will eventually offset this initial cost.
What are the disadvantages of a heat pump tumble dryer?
Despite being our model of choice, there are still some disadvantages of heat pump tumble dryers to keep in mind. Firstly, and probably one of the biggest disadvantages, is with the initial cost. With some of the best tumble dryers starting at around the £500 mark, a heat pump model is certainly not a cheap appliance.
However, we would recommend that you keep an eye out for deals throughout the year, as we’ve seen sales events like Prime Day offering decent price drops.
Another disadvantage with heat pump dryers is their running times. As mentioned earlier, heat pumps use recycled warm air to dry clothes and although this does enable heat pump dryers to be more energy efficient, it does mean you can expect the machine to take a bit longer to dry compared to a condenser which uses hot air.
Verdict
Although condenser tumble dryers are a cheaper initial cost than a heat pump model, we’d always recommend opting for the latter. Not only are heat pump tumble dryers much gentler on fabrics than condensers, but they are also more energy efficient too which means you can help keep energy bills and running costs down. Even if you are drawn in by a cheap deal, a condenser dryer will inevitably cost more in the long run.
