What's the difference between a washer dryer combination and a set?
Differences
Washer dryer combination | Separate washing machine and dryer | |
---|---|---|
Takes up little space | Yes | No |
Dry as much as you wash | No | Yes |
Saves energy | No | Yes |
Wash and dry quickly | No | Yes |
Space
Washer dryer combination: wash and dry with a single appliance
A washer dryer combination is a washing machine and dryer in one, so the appliance takes up relatively little space. That's useful when you have a small house and you don't have room to place 2 separate appliances.
Separate washing machine and dryer: takes up a lot of space
A washer dryer combination mostly has advantages, but also one important downside. A separate washing machine and dryer take up more space. Thankfully, you can easily solve this if you use a stacking kit to place the dryer on top of the washing machine. Of course, the space where you place the set needs to be high enough.
Energy consumption
Washer dryer combination: consumes a lot of energy
A washer dryer combination dries your clothes with a heating element. Heating this heating element requires a lot of power, so the consumption is already quite high. In addition, a washer dryer combination takes longer to dry your laundry because it has no condenser. Heating the element and the long drying time together mean that the appliance uses a lot of energy while drying. Do you only use the machine for washing? In that case, most appliances are energy-efficient. You can find this on the energy label.
Separate washing machine and dryer: washes and dries very energy-efficiently
A separate washing machine and heat pump dryer wash and dry energy-efficiently. You can save as much as possible on your energy bill with a washing machine with an A energy label and a dryer with an A+++ energy label. This'll save you a total of up to € 714 on energy costs over the lifespan of the appliances.
Difference in energy costs
Washer dryer combination (8kg washing capacity/5kg drying capacity) | Washing machine (A) and dryer (A+++) - both 8kg | |
---|---|---|
Average annual energy consumption | 512kWh | 274kWh |
Annual energy costs | € 153.60 | € 82.20 |
Drying capacity
Washer dryer combination: less drying than washing
A washer dryer combination has less drying capacity than laundry capacity. This is because your laundry needs more space in the drum to dry. If there's not enough space, the hot air doesn't reach all your wet laundry properly. This makes it necessary to wash and dry less laundry at a time. Another option is to hang some of your wet laundry on a drying rack after a full wash cycle.
Separate washing machine and dryer: drying as much as washing
With a separate washing machine and dryer, you can choose the load capacity for washing and the load capacity for drying. If you buy a washing machine and dryer with the same load capacity, you can dry all your wet laundry at once after washing.
Speed
Washer dryer combination: dries slower
A washer dryer combination takes longer to dry your laundry than a dryer. This is because the machine doesn't have a condenser that quickly condenses the moisture. The metal tub around the drum is a few degrees cooler than the inside of the drum. During drying, the moist air condenses on this wall, which is slower than with a condenser. This makes the drying process take longer. In this article, you'll read how this works exactly.
Separate washing machine and dryer: dries faster
At the bottom of a dryer is a condenser. This has a hot and cold side to heat up and cool down the air. The cold side of the condenser cools down to the point where it draws all the moisture from the hot air and converts it into water. Because the temperature difference between the air and the condenser is as high as possible, the moisture draws from the hot air faster and your laundry dries faster.
What should I choose?
Do you want to wash and dry in an energy-efficient way and preferably as much as possible in one go? Choose a separate washing machine and dryer. Do you want to save space? Choose a washer dryer combination. Keep in mind that it uses a lot more energy and doesn't dry everything in one go. With a separate washing machine and dryer, you save space with the help of a stacking kit. This way, you can safely stack one appliance on top of the other.