Hybrid rf/conventional clothes dryer

An apparatus for heating a load including an absorbed medium, comprising:

• a conventional energy source configured to heat air and to supply the heated air into an enclosure that accommodates the load and medium therein;
• a radio frequency (RF) energy source configured to apply heat to the load and medium within the enclosure via an alternating current (AC) electrical field embodied as a capacitor;
• and
• an air blower configured to suction air out of the enclosure and to generate an output air flow, wherein the enclosure is located between the RF energy source and the air blower.