Field Demonstration of Electric Clothes Dryer Controller

Residential electric clothes dryers typically come with timed-dry and/or automatic-dry control options. Previous studies have shown that clothes dryers often run longer than necessary, even in automatic termination mode, leading to extended drying times and energy waste (TeGrotenhuis 2014). This study investigated the energy savings potential of an add-on automatic dryer controller, an emerging technology (ET) that can help eliminate the unnecessary operation of residential clothes dryers. Prior to this study, the technology was lab-tested on four different electric dryer models using the US  Department of Energy’s (DOE) test procedures. The lab test resulted in estimated annual energy savings ranging from 15 to 20 percent (Calwell and Houghton 2019). In this study, the project team installed electric dryer controller in ten residential homes to evaluate its ability to reduce drying time and energy consumption in real-world applications. In addition, the team conducted a customer survey to collect information on electric clothes dryer usage patterns as well as user experience and satisfaction with the technology.