non-heated dryer?
 

We have had a lot of talk lately about drying clothes. Now that it is getting colder out, we have been drying clothes indoors in the dryer. My question for you guys is, if time is no object, do you think drying clothes in a dryer without heat would use less energy? You could easily do this by disconnecting the gas line in a gas dryer, or disconnecting the heating element in an electric dryer.

I think that evaporating water takes the same amount of energy at any temperature; only the rate changes. I'm doing my drying indoors, but leaving the humidifier off to compromise on comfort.

You drier should have a "low heat" setting, you might check your electric meeter before and after and see how much it uses, same goes for your gas meter.

One trick I have found to speed up drying is to simply have a small fan blowing on the clothes. The energy usage is very little and the clothes are dry the next day. It would increase the evaporative cooling effect that is unwanted during the winter but very welcome during the summer. (It essentially uses the heat in the room to dry the clothes, so it's killing two birds with one stone during the summer!)

Assuming that your dryer breathes warm inside air, and vents it outside, probably not.

i have though about creating a loop and placing a dehumidifier in there along with "a little" heat. Not sure how well that would work either . . . .

Yes, it does evaporate at any temperature, even below freezing. Warm air can hold more moisture, and that may be one of the reasons evaporation increases with temperature.
I remember reading in one of Asimov's pop sci books that evaporating water takes 5 times more energy (heat) than warming it from freezing to boiling. This is why it gets cool in a room with drying clothes. This is also how the body's cooling system (sweat on skin) works.
Wind (moving air) creates a pressure drop proportional to its speed, and evaporation increases with decreasing pressure.
[/Just my two cents.]

There are dryers out there that use heat pumps in exactly that manner. My parents have one. It's more than twice as efficient as a regular dryer but still nowhere as efficient as a simple fan.

Umm, WOW. Link Please?
Never heard of such a thing, but now I want one.

WM3431HS Washer/Dryer Combos Appliances
(Not the one I have, but it is similar.)
I think that one uses a 1.5-2HP compressor, probably using R-134a. Therefore, it should be even more efficient than the older models that use solid state heat pumps.

All in 1 = EPIC
I want one Oh Man
I wish I knew about this 2 months ago when we got a new Washer.

Edit: That is just a standard Condensing dryer. Shame on me for not reading before posting.
I was considering hacking a condensing unit with a dehumidifier.


Edit: #2 Maybe not