Tony Esposito WCNC Production

Washer and dryers. When it comes to items in the home these two appliances don't raise the senses like a big screen TV or a big stereo system. In today's world, the washer and dryer are as important as the refrigerator for the comforts of home as we know it.

When we talk about energy use in the home, one of them is right up there with the re-frigerator. Can you guess which one? The Dryer. In fact, the dryer is so power hungry that the Energy Star rating system doesn't even list dryers. All of them use about the same amount of energy (a lot) that it really doesn't matter which one to buy.

There are some neat features the new dryers have that will save you money. One of them is a moisture sensor. It will shut down your dryer when it senses the cloths are dry.

Another tip is use the cool down cycle to allow cloths to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer. Of course you could always use a cloths rack to dry your cloths.

Dryer maintenance will also help save money. Clean the lint filter on your dryer after every use.

Also check the dryer vent periodically to make sure it is not blocked.

Having a blocked dryer vent is very dangerous. Blocked dryer vents account for over 15,000 fires a year. Not only are blocked vents dangerous, they can waste a lot of en-ergy.

I recently spent sometime with the folks at Dryer Vent Wizard. They told me all I needed to know about Dryer Vents.

Please watch the video.

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