Clothes dryers that use radio frequency energy to dry fabrics rather than heat air, cutting energy use by up to 24%.
Status:
Baseline Description: Electrical Clothes Dryers Baseline Energy Use: 725 kWh per year per unit
Nearly all homes have clothes dryers and clothes dryers fueled by natural gas or propane are rare (about 5% of the total). The annual electrical energy use per dryer is about 725 kWh/year ( Ecotope, 04/28/2014 Pg xv).
"Typical" Savings: 20% Energy Savings Reliability: 1 - Concept not validated
Energy Use of an Emerging Technology is based upon the following algorithm. Baseline Energy Use - (Baseline Energy Use * Best Estimate of Energy Savings (either Typical savings OR the high range of savings.))
Simple payback, new construction (years): N/A
Simple payback, retrofit (years): N/A
Cost Effectiveness is calculated using baseline energy use, best estimate of typical energy savings, and first cost. It does not account for factors such as impacts on O&M costs (which could be significant if product life is greatly extended) or savings of non-electric fuels such as natural gas. Actual overall cost effectiveness could be significantly different based on these other factors.
Ecotope, 04/28/2014. Residential Building Stock Assessment: Metering Study Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Technical Advisory Group: 2014 Commercial Building TAG (#9) TAG Ranking: 33 out of 44 Technologies (2014 Commercial TAG strategies ranked separately) Average TAG Rating: 2.31 out of 5 TAG Ranking Date: 03/17/2014 TAG Rating Commentary: EPRI did work in the mid 1990's with commercial dryers I'm unfamiliar with this technology, would need more information to rate this I have seen the prototype in operation and believe its greatest benefits come from minimizing long term damage to clothing. Limited commercial bldg application, still in development Significant efficiency potential, ease of implementation.