Photography: The Palm Co / Styling: Sarah Yarrow
It may seem like a big claim to make, but a heat pump clothes dryer is the only type of clothes dryer you should be considering if you use one frequently, or if you have a small laundry with poor or limited ventilation. It might be free to hang clothes on the line to dry, but a heat pump dryer is the next best option, especially if you live in an apartment or simply don’t have the time to hang load after load in the sun.
“Heat pump dryers are generally the most energy-efficient models on the market,” an LG spokesperson tells Home Beautiful. “They use a compressor instead of an electric heater to generate hot air, meaning they consume less electricity than traditional vented dryers and can achieve a 9-Star Energy Rating.”
But energy savings aren’t the only thing that make heat pump dryers an attractive option. Heat pump dryers make your home look and feel cleaner, too. Unlike vented dryers, which make the walls of your laundry ‘sweat’ with humidity, heat pump dryers recirculate the air inside the unit, meaning you won’t notice any additional moisture in the air. Another plus? I personally have found that heat pump dryers create a lot less lint. Convinced this option is for you? Here are the best heat pump clothes dryers to shop now.
2024’s TOP HEAT PUMP DRYERS
- Bosch Series 8 8kg heat pump dryer, $1615, Appliances Online (here’s why)
- Bespoke 9kg smart heat pump dryer with AI Dry, $1686, Samsung Australia (here’s why)
- Haier 8kg heat pump dryer, $987, The Good Guys (here’s why)
The best heat pump clothes dryers to shop in 2024
01
Bosch Series 8 8kg heat pump dryer
$1615, Appliances Online
Best for: Trusted brand and reverse tumble
Bosch is one of the most trusted home appliances brands, and at $1615, this 8kg heat pump dryer is hard to beat. It has a reverse tumble drying action, a 9-star energy rating and features a user-friendly touch-screen display. Comes with a 2-year warranty.
Key features:
- Made in Europe
- 13-programs to choose from including delicates and towels
- Quiet to operate at 64dB
02
Bespoke 9kg smart heat pump dryer with AI Dry
$1686, Samsung Australia
Best for: The ultimate smart heat pump dryer
In a household where the laundry shores are shared, it’s important to have appliances that are reliable and easy-to-use. Samsung’s Bespoke smart heat pump dryer is not only energy efficient (with a 9-star energy rating) but has AI Dry, which means the machine will do the thinking for you, automatically adjusting the settings according to the items in the drum. You can control it from your smart phone (using Samsung’s SmartThings app) and link it to a compatible Samsung Smart Washer for an almost hands-off laundry experience.
Available in: Black and white
Key features:
- 18-cycle options including silent dry and wool
- 20-year warranty on the digital inverter
- Large capacity, capable of drying 8kg of washing at a time
03
Haier 8kg heat pump dryer
$987, The Good Guys
Best for: An affordable heat pump dryer that gets the job done
Coming in at less than $1000, Haier’s 8kg heat pump is one of the most popular and affordable models on the market. It has over 90 five-star reviews on The Good Guys website alone, with one happy customer reporting: “I’m so in love with my Haier heat pump dryer … I could honestly rave about this all day.”
Key features:
- Comes with a rack for drying shoes and hats
- 9-star energy rating
- Can be controlled remotely via a smart phone app
04
Miele 8kg heat pump tumble dryer
$2069.10, Appliances Online
Best for: Simple interface and washing that smells divine
Many heat pump dryers come with touch screens and confusing interfaces, but the Miele keeps things stylish and simple. It has a turn dial to operate, with 12-drying settings to choose from. If you’re used to your laundry coming out hot and dry from a vented machine, Miele’s ‘Extra Dry’ setting will give you confidence that everything is 100% dry. This Miele machine also has unique FragranceDos technology which infuses your washing with a heavenly scent for up to 50 cycles.
Key features:
- Comes with bonus 5-year warranty (See Bing Lee’s website for T&Cs)
- 9-star energy rating
- Anti-tangle setting for bedding
05
Beko 9kg heat pump dryer with steam and wifi
$1032, Appliances Online
Best for: High-end features on a shoestring budget
Want to get your money’s worth? Take a look at Beko’s 8kg heat pump dryer, which comes in at just over $1000. It comes with a 5-year warranty and has many of the same features as higher-end models, including 15-cycle options, Wi-fi connectivity and sensor drying options. It even looks totally slick in black. One reviewer said, “This is the first clothes dryer I have owned and it has completely changed my life in winter.”
Available in: Black and white
Key features:
- 5-year standard warranty
- 8-star energy rating
- Quiet operating at 63dB
Are heat pump dryers gentle on clothing?
Yes, heat pump dryers are gentle on clothing. “Unlike traditional vented or condenser dryers, which blow hot air on your clothes, heat pump dryers use a more sophisticated heat exchange system that extracts moisture out of wet clothes to generate hot air,” says LG’s spokesperson. “The absence of an electric heater reduces the risk of damaging fabrics.”
Many heat pump dryers also include smart features and AI technology that allow the machine to detect the type of fabrics being dried and adjust the settings accordingly. Samsung’s ‘AI Dry’, for example, uses eight sensors to monitor moisture, temperature, humidity levels and airflow levels to prevent clothes from overheating and overdrying.
Are there any downsides to a heat pump dryer?
If you’re opting for a heat pump dryer after decades using a more traditional dryer, you may find it hard to adjust to some differences, including cycle lengths and the extent to which clothing is dried. Here are five differences to consider.
1. Cycle length
Some heat pump users have reported longer dry cycle times, but as a devoted Samsung AI Heat Pump Dryer user, I have not experienced this. To give you an idea, I am able to dry about seven towels in about 60 minutes. If you’re short for time, try selecting a ‘Time Dry’ cycle or a ‘Quick Dry’ cycle. Choice reports that the average heat pump dryer cycle is about 233 minutes, compared to 177 minutes for a vented dryer.
2. The dry itself
Simpler vented dryers often have a time dial that you can set – and forget. When the cycle finishes you come back to hot, bone-dry laundry. That might seem fine, but who really knows whether the clothing was actually dry 30 minutes ago? Heat pump dryers, on the other hand, have sensors that complete the cycle as soon as the clothing is dry. This is an awesome energy saving feature that also prevents wrinkles setting in, but the sensation of just dried clothing may take time to get used to if you’re used to things being hot and overdried.
3. Sheets get tangled
Now this is a problem that isn’t unique to heat pump dryers, but I’ll mention it anyway. The only thing I dread having to dry in my heat pump dryer is bed sheets. The machine I use doesn’t have a ‘reverse tumble’ action, which means sheets quickly lump up in a big ball that cannot be dried efficiently. Sadly, simple hacks such as using wool dryer balls and tying corners of bedsheets together haven’t worked for me, so I tell anyone who is considering buying a heat pump dryer to select a model with reverse tumble (such as Bosch’s Series 8 8kg Heat Pump Dryer with reverse tumble) to prevent larger items getting tangled.
4. The purchase price
Heat pump dryers can cost more to buy upfront than vented or condenser options, but they are worth every penny. If you use your heat pump dryer several times a week, it’s highly likely that you’ll recoup the upfront cost in energy savings.
5. They cannot be wall-mounted
Because they’re quite heavy, heat pump dryers cannot be wall-mounted. If you have a small laundry, consider purchasing a stacking kit that will allow you to place the dryer on top of the washing machine. In saying this, many stacking kits are only compatible with a matching washing machine from the same brand. Appliances Online sell the AppliancePro Washer/Dryer Stacking Mat that will allow you to place the dryer directly onto an existing washing machine.
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