As a follow up:
there are new Whirlpool and LG heat pump clothes dryers available in the US. A review of the Whirlpool unit is featured on greenbuildingadvisor here:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com....dvisor-eletter
Edit: hmm. somehow the URL above is altered when I paste it here:
This one seems to work from here:
http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/w...4#post-1892521