THE high cost of energy has us all looking for ways to save on drying clothes – but you've probably not thought of using one item to speed up the process.

The average household on a dual fuel tariff is forking out £1,834 a year on gas and electricity compared to £1,277 two years ago.

That, combined with stubbornly high inflation, means you should be looking to save money wherever possible.

And while most of us know to use a heated airer or dehumidifier instead of a tumble dryer to cut costs when it comes to drying clothes, there's one trick you've likely never heard of.

You can in fact maximise using a dehumidifier to dry your garments by combining it with a regular desktop fan.

A dehumidifier will dry out the air around your clothes and a fan will blow that same air on to your clothes.

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The result is pants, shirts and more dried in quick time.

Chris Michael, managing director of Meaco, which manufactures dehumidifiers, told The Sun: "Think about how you dry washing outside, you would look for a dry, sunny, windy day.

"This is what you need to recreate indoors to dry laundry.

"Clothes dry faster on a windy day as the air blowing through them literally forces the moisture out.

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"This works faster if the air around the clothes is dry (hence the need for a dehumidifier)."

Most desktop fans only cost around 1p an hour to run, so it's a hack well worth trying.

Reporter Harriet Cooke tried it and all her washing was dry within four and a half hours, including a thick sleeping bag.

Combining the cost of the dehumidifier and fan, she spent around 35p per load.

The fan cost 1p an hour to run and the dehumidifier, in laundry mode, 6.7p an hour to run.

USwitch says a tumble dryer costs around 81p per load, meaning she saved herself 46p.

Harriet also tested the dehumidifier and heated airer together but after four and a half hours there were still wet patches on her clothes.

Of course, employing this technique yourself might not reap the exact same rewards but you're likely to save more compared to using a tumble dryer.

Remember though, it's worth shopping around for the most energy and cost-efficient fan.

You can use websites like Price Runner and Price Spy which compare thousands of products and their prices.

A quick search on the Google Products tab will draw up a list of similar-style items too.

We had a quick look to see what we could find.

Screwfix is selling a 32-watt Blyss fan with plenty of five star reviews for £16.50 which costs less than 1p to run.

You will have to pay £5 if you want it delivered to your doorstep though.

Meanwhile, Argos is selling one for £13 and 89% of customers who bought one would recommend it. It costs just over 1p an hour to run.

John Lewis also has one for £15 which comes with a two-year guarantee and costs 0.6p to run.

How else to save money on energy bills

There's a number of ways you can save money on your energy bills this winter.

You can cut costs by switching up your conventional oven for an air fryer, although bear in mind they're not always the cheapest option.

You could save £40 a month swapping out old halogen lightbulbs for LED ones.

Meanwhile, closing curtains at night can lock in heat and save you on you money.

Or, try blocking draughts to stop excess warmth escaping.

Turning off any so-called "vampire appliances", which drain your energy when left on standby, will cut costs too.

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In other news, reporter Lynsey Hope tested indoor heaters under £40 and a high street brand came out on top.

Plus, Lidl is selling a "must have" gadget that’s the cheapest around to help dry washing without putting the heating on.

You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.

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