Heat pump (server) coupled washer and dryer pair

A method of delivering, recovering, storing, and redistributing thermal energy between separate appliances of an appliance group comprising:

• providing an appliance group that includes at least two appliances including:
• a heat pump;
• a first appliance designed to perform a first consumer function related to the first appliance;
• and
• a second appliance that is separate from the first appliance wherein the second appliance is designed to perform a second consumer function related to the second appliance;
• and
• a thermal storage unit operably connected to the heat pump and the first appliance via one or more conduits to allow an energy bearing fluid to be transferred to and from the heat pump and to and from the first appliance and wherein the thermal storage unit stores thermal energy for later use by one or more utilities to be delivered to the first appliance and the second appliance when needed wherein the one or more utilities to be delivered to the first and second appliances when needed are chosen from the group consisting of a thermal energy bearing liquid, a thermal energy bearing gas, and combinations thereof, which are supplied to and from the first and second appliance via conduits operably connected to the thermal storage unit;
• delivering thermal energy to a first amount of the thermal energy bearing fluid using the heat pump and conveying the heated thermal energy bearing fluid to at least one of the first home appliance and the second home appliance for use in processing fabric articles until the first amount of the thermal energy bearing fluid becomes used, heated thermal energy bearing fluid;
• recovering thermal energy from the used heated thermal energy bearing fluid that remains using the thermal storage unit;
• storing the recovered thermal energy in the thermal storage unit;
• redistributing the thermal energy to a second amount of thermal energy bearing fluid and conveying the heated second amount of thermal energy bearing fluid to the heat pump if further thermal energy is needed and then to at least one of the first or second home appliances or conveying the heated second amount of thermal energy bearing fluid to at least one of the first home appliance or the second home appliance without thermal energy being supplied by the heat pump.