Tumble dryers manufactured today are optimised for their maximum capacity, i.e., 6-8 kg of dry load. An average washing load in ordinary households lands at between 2 and 3.5 kg dry load, which implies that the drying load is even smaller. The energy efficiency decreases with reduced drying load. The aim of this study is to establish a mathematical model for studying alternative control strategies for the venting tumble dryer in order to increase the energy efficiency of drying small loads. Two series of test runs were performed: the first series with three different drying loads was used as reference tests for validation of the mathematical model, and the second series was performed with airflow reduction. The model shows good agreement with the test runs. Two control strategies were tested using the model on the smallest drying load. By lowering the heat supply to the heater and by reducing the airflow, the energy efficiency increases by 6% in a small load drying cycle. It was not possible, however, for the investigated dryer, to reach the same energy efficiency for small loads as for the maximum drying load by using a control strategy. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.