Had to choose between a gas dryer and a heat pump model back in 2020

I went with the heat pump one for my apartment in Portland. It takes twice as long to dry a load but uses way less power. My electric bill dropped about $30 a month after I switched. The catch is the lint filter needs cleaning after every single load or it stops working right. Has anyone else made this swap and stuck with it or gone back?

3 comments

3 Comments

wade_kelly7730m ago

My 2019 Whirlpool heat pump dryer from Home Depot took close to 4 hours on a heavy load of jeans last month and I almost threw it out the window. The $30 monthly savings you mention doesn't add up when you factor in the higher upfront cost and the fact that I'm running it for twice as long which eats into those savings anyway. I swapped back to a gas model last year and honestly the extra $20 on my bill is totally worth getting dry clothes in 45 minutes instead of waiting around all day.

adam_baker8h ago

And you really have to stay on top of that lint filter or the drying time just keeps getting worse. I found out the hard way after a few loads started taking like 3 hours and then realized the filter was caked. But once you get in the habit of cleaning it every time, the savings on the bill are totally worth it for me.

keith2746h agoTop Commenter

Honestly, I gotta disagree with you there. I've never been that religious about cleaning the lint filter every single time and my dryer still works fine after years. Maybe it depends on the model or what you're drying, but I think the whole "cleaning it every load" thing gets blown way out of proportion. The savings on your bill are real if you let it get really bad, sure, but if you check it every few loads it's not gonna cost you that much extra. Plus, sometimes I forget and the clothes still come out dry within an hour. To me, it's more about a decent habit than some life-or-death necessity.