Martin Lewis warns Brits 'demon appliance' is worst in house for soaring bills

Martin Lewis has warned of a "demon appliance" that is the biggest energy guzzler in the home and should be avoided at all costs. During his BBC Radio 5 podcast, the money saving expert offered advice amidst skyrocketing energy bills as the weather turns colder.

The Money Saving Expert founder pinpointed one particular appliance to use as sparingly as possible - the tumble dryer, which costs £1 for every load. He said: "Do you know what the real 'demon appliance' is in most people's houses - the one that you don't want to use because it's really expensive? Tumble dryers. You're typically paying up to a quid per load so dry your clothes on an airer outside, to shorten the amount of time you're using your tumble dryer, or avoid using it completely.

"Those who have dehumidifiers can take some of the moisture out of the air. It's less wattage than a tumble dryer, so it can be more cost-effective."

Live listener Rob had noticed that his flat had become damp since he started drying his washing inside his home. He queried: "If I were to buy a dehumidifier, would it be cheaper than using the heating to keep the place dry?"

Mr Lewis responded: "Dehumidifiers extract water from the air rather than using heating and they're much lower wattage appliances than standard heating. So if the dehumidifier works for you, it will definitely result in lower electricity bills."

This week, it was revealed that households are beginning the winter with a staggering debt of £780 million to their energy suppliers, the highest level of debt in eight years, according to a survey conducted for Uswitch.

The comparison site reported that the number of households owing money to their provider has surged by 46% from 2.4 million last year to 3.5 million this year.

When it comes to drying clothes in winter without always turning to the expensive tumble dryer, heated airers are a popular choice.

Cleaning enthusiast Brian Fenn took to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page to say that switching to a heated clothes airer is "game-changing".

He wrote: "I used to have a standard airer, but the heated ones are so much better. I find that they dry the clothes faster when you put a bedsheet over the top.

"It keeps the heat in. I can get a full airer, which is about two loads of washing dry in three hours. It's a game-changer."

A heated airer can dry clothes in around two to five hours, depending on the items, which is dramatically lower than the 24-hour drying time you typically see from a standard airer.