To not allow the tumble drier to be used apart from emergencies

I would say yes you are, if your tumble dryer was not so old!

I think it’s probably a bit risky to use it, unless it’s been checked recently.

I can’t see much harm in using one, I use it for towels all year round, but my daughter never uses hers.
Bearing in mind all the problems with tumble dryers I would just get rid of it, it’s only taking up room.

I can see where you are coming from. When you are used to saving it's hard to feel others are being needlessly extravagant. Congratulations on having a tumble drier last 40 years. The younger generation in general just don't see it the way we do. Easy come easy go. He may well have been brought up to freely use a tumble dryer. Guess it depends how you said it whether he sees it as mean or not. Maybe you could explain in a kindly way why you felt he shouldn't use it. He may well then understand where you were coming from.

If you very rarely, if ever, use it, what's the point of having it? And what kind of "emergency" would qualify for using it?
Had you mentioned to your young house guest that although their was a tumble drier, it wasn't to be used? If not, I can understand why he used it.

I think I would avoid anything that would make a guest feel “at fault” and unwelcome. Even if I had to grit my teeth very hard.
I was taught never to correct guests and make them feel uncomfortable. A lodger yes, but someone I’d welcomed in, no.

I have one for 'emergency' use. I rarely use it but have on occasions used it for drying bedding in case of accidents or for the odd times when I wash the dgc clothes and want to make sure things are dry before packing them up. And I use it to dry down filled coats.

I think you were completely unreasonable ..not for using the tumbler frugally but in the way you handled it and the way you spoke to the young house guest but I'm only reading what you wrote and could be reading it in the wrong way. However , now you feel bad about it so I think I read it in the right way.
Your 40 year old tumbler probably uses more electric than newer ones . Mine uses about a penny a day if i use it every day .

I use a tumble dryer on rainy days and have never noticed my bills to be very different and I really can’t see what problem a one off would be apart from the fact at 40 years old it’s probably unsafe to use if the lad was leaving the next day he would need his items to be dry for packing so yes I think you were being unreasonable

A lot of house fires start with tumble dryers

I brought up 3 children without a tumble drier, it was not easy. I remember radiators covered in Terry nappies, towels, school shirts, bed sheets, etc etc. I bought my first tumble drier about 15 years ago, replaced it with a more efficient model recently. I love it. Part of the reason I didn't have one earlier, was I feared the additional electricity bill and I confess to having somehow stupidly believed it wasn't an essential item.
It so is. I haven't used it at all during the hot weather spell but was so thankful to be able to dry the bedding and towels I washed yesterday. I don't think it's affected our bills significantly either.
OP, I'd be inclined to get rid of your tumble drier. As BlueBelle says, a lot of house fires are started because of faults in tumble driers. Plus, if you never use it - why keep it taking up space you could use for something more useful.

A tumble dryer doesn’t use loads of electricity but I use mine with care. I never put wet washing in straight from the washing machine, I finish it off in the tumble dryer to avoid ironing or soften items dried indoors. Apart from that, emergencies only.
I could easily live without mine.

shh please don't tell anyone but I used the tumble dryer today - it's been raining and I needed to dry stuff and I also dislike using towels that are hard from drying on the line.

Now my house guest is going to do some washing so I can't tell her not to use it can I?

It is a new one and A rated

and DH has not grumbled; as he is the one who keeps an eye on energy use it can't have used too much.

Congratulations on having a tumble drier last 40 years.
But it will not be very energy efficient, unlike the new ones.

Modern tumble driers with a AAA rating are economical to use Jalima, but a 40 year old rarely used and probably just as rarely serviced would be neither economical, nor safe to use.

I have never had one, except when my mum lent me hers . I kept it for emergencies, eg sports kit needed next day after return from cub camp. When it packed up, I did not replace it. The only thing I miss it for is drying towels as it keeps them soft.

Yes, I think you were being unreasonable as the person was leaving next day.

some of the newer ones are not safe to use either, as they can catch fire, so we were very careful indeed and did some research before we bought a new one.

I think YABU unless you had told your guest in advance not to use the tumble dryer. If he was living in a household where a tumble dryer is used regularly I don't think it would have even occurred to him that there was anything wrong in using it. His washing probably wouldn't dry overnight on the pulley anyway.
I would just be pleased that he'd done his own washing.

We have one that is not often used, but we are contemplating moving into a hose that only has a tiny courtyRd, so no room for a washing line. Definitely nowhere for a ‘pulley’, but also no space for a tumble drier either! What to do? Naturally this hadn’t occurred to DH until I pointed it out!

New tumble driers are energy efficient, use mine all the time. You have to clear filter each time to ensure efficiency and safety. Maybe you could have handled the situation better.

Personally I would not use a 40 year old machine.

I use mine all the time,I always worked full time so it was simpler to use the dryer than hang washing out to be rained on ...and rewashed .My bills aren't significantly high and I will continue to use it even though I only work part time now .

I wouldn’t use any electrical item that was as old as that.

It's been raining here all day. I'm about to put my towels in the tumble dryer. I have nowhere in my house to dry anything except over the radiators. I'll check the smart meter reading and let you know how much it cost to dry them.

Yes, YABU. It was a one-off and the cost was unlikely to break the bank.

I use a TD for almost all laundry as I don't have easy access to an outdoor line. In fact, I've recently had to look at my house deeds, for another purpose, and discovered that in the area where I live, we are not permitted to hang laundry outdoors!

Kensington Sue?

Yes, I'm afraid I think YABU. A tumble dryer costs about 36p an hour to run (that's a modern one I presume). If you begrudge your young house guest that, I dread to think what you have been feeding him on! I feel it is much more important to make guests feel welcome and would never dream of forbidding guests from using anything in my house, let alone instructing them to take washing out of a dryer that is already in use!!