Quote:
Originally Posted by AC_Hacker
Somewhere on this forum (you'd have to search to find it), there have also been some ponderings of making a dryer using a dehumidifier instead of a heating element. I don't think anyone has yet actually tried it.
|
Not only has that been tried, LG actually makes a dryer that works that way. Out of the 8 or so years of owning one, I've only had minor issues with it (bad drain pump and a cracked hose caused by handling during replacement of that pump) and it's still very efficient. (I do use a clothesline when the weather permits since it's still infinitely more efficient...)
What might be interesting for hot climates would be to use a heat pump to extract heat out of the room while drying the clothes...
Quote:
|
Furnace blowers can draw 600 watts if you get a regular sized one and for drying cloths you don't need that much air movement!
|
If you only need to heat one room, it can easily be more efficient to just leave a desktop PC running in that room. If you're unlucky enough to have electric central heat, it would be more efficient to leave PCs running (since they do other useful stuff like Folding@Home, as well as no duct losses) no matter how much of the space needs to be heated. Solar thermal is unmatchable for efficiency, and a heat pump is not too far behind if natural gas is unavailable. (If natural gas is available, CHP can be viable in colder climates.)