The graph above shows the way a normal tumble dryer uses electricity. The machine tested was a Hoover Electron tumble dryer. On a particularly cold and overcast winters wash day, the tumble dryer was used to dry a largish batch of clothes. The unit was repeatedly run through its cycle (the temperature was set arbitrarily to about midway) for most of the day. You can see a number of key characteristics:
The tumble dryer is almost entirely a resistive load. The kW and KVA readings coincide almost completely.
Tumble dryers consume quite a lot of power.
The summary figures for the test are:
Max. Power drawn 1.85 kW
Average Power drawn per hour 1.04 kW
