So there are crazy headlines, and then there are "I'm sorry WTAF now?" headlines...😳 Yes, the Telegraph have deduced that Ed Miliband hates mothers because of some new legislation making tumble dryers more efficient and cheaper to run! 🧵 1/24
What's the story? The UK recently passed legislation that, from next year, all new tumble dryers on sale in the UK will have to have a certain energy efficiency In practice, this means only heat pump tumble dryers will be available for sale brand new. And boy, are the Right upset!🤯 2/ "SAVE OUR TUMBLE DRYER" Screams Richard Tice "Long live the tumble dryer" "He's crossed a line." "Miliband better not come anywhere near my lifesaver", Shrieks Suella Braverman. Seriously, do these people even hear themselves?! 🙄 3/
So let's all take a deep breath and have a look at what's actually going on and what this legislation will mean in practice! There are three main types of tumble dryer available: 1. Condenser dryers 2. Vented tumble dryers 3. Heat pump tumble dryers This is how the heat pump ones work👇
While they cost more up front to buy (we'll get to that shortly), they are far cheaper to run. They dry clothes at a lower temperature, making them more energy efficient and gentler on the clothes, meaning your clothes last longer! 5/
On a like-for-like comparison: - A vented tumble dryer costs £1.82 per cycle. - A condenser tumble dryer costs £1.77 per cycle. - A heat pump tumble dryer costs 73p per cycle. The more often you use your tumble dryer, the bigger the savings will be over the course of a year... 6/
Let's go back to the original article and see what it is that means Ed Miliband must hate mums!? (because, quite frankly, I'm a mum and saving money on tumble-drying seems like a bit of a win-win to me...🤷♀️) 7/ Miliband is apparently going to war on.... "a mother's most prized possession" I'm sorry, what? I mean, I love my tumble dryer, but I'm not sure it's my most prized possession!😆 Let's take a look at her claims about heat pump models. 8/
❓Are they more expensive? Yes, heat pump models are more expensive than vented or condensing models. I did a like-for-like comparison at Curry's on their cheapest tumble dryers: The heat pump one was £20 more expensive than the Condenser one and £20 more than the vented one
And we've already seen that heat pump tumble dryers can save from £80 to nearly £300 per year, every year, depending on how often you use them. So yes, they cost more to buy, but they save you so much more money in the long run, compared to conventional dryers 10/
❓Do they run colder and therefore take longer to dry? Yes, they do run colder (which is better for your clothes), which means they do take longer to dry. Depending on the model, this can be up to 25 minutes longer on a 150min traditional model run. 11/ ❓Are they noisier? The Curry's comparison table from earlier suggests they're actually quieter. The Home Building and Renovation website also explains that they're quieter. Who knows where the Telegraph got its information that they're noisier from?🤷♀️
❓Do they take up more space? They may be a few centimetres deeper than other models; however, they still fit underneath a normal worktop with the same height and width dimensions as any other tumble dryer! I feel she's clutching at straws at this point...😆 13/ She goes on to tell us just how much washing she has to do (Just like every other household with children) And beautifully highlights her privilege when so many families in this country can't afford the luxury of running a tumble dryer... She actually calls her tumble dryer "my comrade in arms"😳
The entire piece is premised on the idea that tumble dryers THEMSELVES are going to be banned. Which is such utter nonsense! Tumble dryers are just going to become cheaper to run - oh, the horror!🤷♀️ 15/
She ends by saying we are being stripped of the technological advances that have made life easier - cars, boilers, and tumble dryers! Umm.. we still have cars, boilers, and tumble dryers - all more technologically advanced than they used to be👍🏻 16/
All very odd!! Heat pump tumble dryers are already the way we're going Curry's sells 135 compared to 29 condensers and 7 vented Argos sells 61 compared to 28 condensers and 8 vented 3/4 of all new tumble dryers sold are already heat pump models
Yes, there was a recent safety warning affecting some particular heat pump dryer models. Do you remember the Whirlpool-related tumble dryer fire risk that affected millions of machines over several years? These issues happen. They're not specific to heat pump tumble driers 18/
And for the avoidance of doubt, no one is coming to take your current tumble dryer away! You can continue using your current tumble dryer as long as you like. You'll still be able to buy and sell non-heat pump dryers second-hand. They just won't be available to buy brand new 19/ In a surprise to no one, the Daily Mail is obviously very upset about this change... Which is weird, given an article they wrote just 3 months ago... 20/
Back in January, they tested 120 tumble dryers and picked the best three from the cheap, mid-range, and top budget. And guess what? They picked heat pump models as their winners in all three ranges👍🏻😆 21/
We know those on the Right don't like change We know they don't like technological advances They made the same fuss when old-style light bulbs were phased out They made the same fuss when leaded petrol was phased out And they'll make the same fuss over whatever the next technological advance is🙄 But I hope we can all agree that this new legislation doesn't mean that Ed Miliband hates tumble dryers, nor does it mean that he hates mums!! Making tumble dryers cheaper to run and better for the environment is a good thing for everyone - even Mums!😜 23/ Right, that's enough on Woke Tumble dryers! If you like these types of debunks, please sign up for my Substack: monkdebunks.substack.com It's free! But paid subscriptions and coffee (or wine!) donations (buymeacoffee.com) really help 😊 24/24