Shoppers are rushing to buy £2.50 The Range gizmo that slashed £100 off energy bills
SHOPPERS are rushing to buy a £2.50 The Range gizmo slashing £100 off energy bills.
The money-saving hack has won admirers keen to keep down heating costs.
The solution to reducing energy consumption when drying laundry has been revealed as tumble dryer balls.
They have plenty of benefits, experts say.
The balls can separate clothes and increase air flow while your tumble dryer is operating – making sure items dry faster.
They also cut back on static so clothes are less likely to cling together and again dry more swiftly.
And dryer balls are said to minimise any build-up of lint which can otherwise hamper your machine’s efficiency.
Packs of two can be bought from The Range for £2.49.
The retail firm’s product descriptions hail how they can “help to circulate your clothing around the drum more so the fabric dries faster”.
The balls are also said to help your clothes “soften without the need for a chemical conditioner”.
The Range insists: “This will not only reduce your drying time but also your bills.”
And tests by The Sun suggested potential savings of £62.40 each year drying towels and sheets and another £43.68 with clothes.
Tumble dryers have been described as some of the biggest energy-guzzling appliances in the home, by consumer expert Martyn James.
He says of them, as well as washing machines and dishwashers: “These machines have to quickly generate heat, so can result in them adding a quarter of the cost of your energy bill.”
But he added: “It’s great that this test found dryer balls can help reduce costs.”
Other dryer balls have been praised by buyers on Amazon.
A happy customer elsewhere told how similar products helped cut down drying time by 45 minutes.
Consumer experts have recommended the best time of day to use tumble dryers, as well as advising on the appliances’ typical costs.
Suggested alternatives to the machine include a £17 gadget available from Tesco and a £3 Home Bargains buy also said to reduce mould.
More advice on drying clothes on a budget without creating damp has also been offered.