Step up to the gas pump (gas or electric dryer?)

Your first decision centers on the heat source — either gas or electricity. Do you have a gas line available to your home? If so, the slightly higher price tag of a gas dryer will be offset by the monthly fuel bills as gas is generally a cheaper fuel than electricity.

The dryer is second only to the refrigerator in the electricity consuming pecking order, so this is worthy of consideration. If you don't have the option of gas, there are many electric models that will do the job of drying your clothes quite nicely. In fact, 80% of dryers sold run on electricity.