They are a stupid waste of energy if you live alone and want to suffer for the sake of environment.
replyIf you have a family of four, the clothes dryer is an ENORMOUS time-saver. I'll never voluntarily live in an apartment that doesn't have one. No way I'm sacrificing my quality of life.
Does the famously damp UK climate make a difference here?
replyTo drying clothes!? No, we're much more likely to dry clothes outside than Americans. They dry just fine outside even in mid October; a bit more slowly than that after that, but when I was a kid I remember washing going on the line on warm days in early December.
replyWe do have electric tumble dryers, condenser dryers, washer dryers.
(Indeed, the progressive switch to condensers may be part of power consumption dropping.)
AFAIK The UK's climate is about equivalent to New York State.