[NiHaoMike]

Has anyone thought about retrofitting a clothes dryer with a heat pump? I actually have a LG combo washer/dryer that uses a solid state heat pump to extract moisture. It has had a few problems (drain pump broke down, then a hose cracked - probably from handling while replacing the pump) and is a little expensive, but it uses only about 1/2 the energy of a regular dryer, so it has already paid off its higher initial price and repair costs by saving energy. And don't forget the convenience factor of not having to manually move the load from the washer to the dryer.

The LG dryers that used compressors are probably even more efficient, but they have not been available for years due to the upcoming R-22 phaseout. R-410A would not be a practical replacement for that application since the operating pressures (already high at 400-500PSI high side for R-22) would be too high with R-410A. Hopefully they find a HFC or alternative refrigerant that will work in that application or find a way to make the silicon heat pump work more efficiently.