[Greenbuilding] ENERGY STAR Clothes Dryers Program Launch

[Benjamin Pratt]

As someone who has training in mechanical engineering and industrial
design, and who likes to take things apart, these are my observations
about dryer design:
1. Todays electric and gas dryers are no more efficient, and not
substantially different in design. than dryers from decades ago.
Almost no progress has been made since electronic ignition replaced
pilot lights.
2. Heat recovery in the winter would be a relatively easy
step--especially with electric dryers. This helps the overall
efficiency of the home, but not that of the dryer.
3. Washers that wring out the clothes better help the overall
efficiency of the system, but not of the dryer.
4. The easiest way to make a dryer more efficient would be to increase
the amount of air passing through the clothes, and decrease the amount
of heat. But this probably would increase drying times.
5Perhaps its not easy to make a dryer more efficient--at least without
increasing the drying time. Perhaps this is why dryers haven't changed
much in decades.


b e n j a m i n p r a t t

professor art+design
the university of wisconsin stout