Here's something I've been curious about ever since my exhaust hose came loose this summer, yep, it was hot! But with cold weather and drying heaters, unhooking that hose on purpose to direct moisture and warmth back into the home could be used as an advantage:
Reclaiming Dryer Heat
"There are devices to direct warm dryer air back into your house, but they must only be used with electric dryers. Gas-fired dryers must exhaust outdoors to be safe. But in the case of electric models, the potential savings are even greater than you might think when you realize that the process eliminates the need to heat up all the air that must leak back into your house to replace the dryer air exhausted outside. You save twice. There are several heat recovery devices available through major hardware retailers, and the ones I've seen use water to filter out the lint. If you don’t see anything on store shelves, ask what can be ordered. The proposition is attractive, except for one thing: added moisture from all those wet clothes isn’t good in all homes. If you live in an old, drafty house, this isn’t a problem because any additional moisture finds its way outside automatically via cracks, gaps and other sources of air leakage. And if your house is tight but you have some form of mechanical ventilation -- like a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) -- this solves the moisture problem, too. But directing dryer air back into your house isn’t a good idea if more than a little condensation now appears on your windows during cold weather. This indicates moisture levels that are already verging on excessive. Adding more can promote mould growth and deterioration."
