Washing and drying clothes is a part of life but the amount of energy the washing machine and dryer use is significant. Therefore, if you have a larger family or you do laundry often, as much as 12% to 15% of the entire household energy consumption would be related to this one task. Most people are unaware that the dryer specifically is one of the biggest energy hogs. However, of all appliances where energy use could be reduced, the dryer would be at the top of the list.
The quickest and easiest change would be to stop using the clothes dryer altogether, choosing instead to hang things outside on the clothesline. If you have never dried clothes this way, you will find they dry with a refreshing smell. Now, you may need to iron some of the things dried outside and unless you use liquid fabric softener when washing the clothes, towels and clothes made from cotton would come out scratchy. Other than that, when weather permits you could easily save $200 a year simply by allowing the sun to dry your clothes.
However, if you have no room for an outdoor clothesline or you live in a part of the country where weather does not permit outdoor drying very often, you could always purchase an indoor drying rack. If you love drying your clothes the traditional way, you can still reduce the amount of energy used by switching from an electric dryer to one that operates on gas. Before you make this switch, it would be essential to contact the gas company that services your home to ask the average cost of operating a gas dryer. Then, contact the electric company, asking the same thing. With the information gathered, you would be able to determine if a gas dryer would in fact be a cost-saving solution.
If you decide to switch out an electric dryer for a gas dryer, we strongly recommend you purchase one with a built-in moisture sensor. This simple sensor detects moisture levels in the clothes so as soon as they are dry, the sensor would shut the dryer off automatically. Even if you had set the dry time to 60 minutes, if the moisture sensor detects the clothes to be fully dry in 50 minutes, it would override your time setting. Studies show that moisture sensors can reduce the amount of energy used by 15%
For washing machines, you have viable options for cutting energy consumption and saving money too. One of the best things you could do is purchase a front-load washing machine. This unique design has only been on the market a short time but because they are so easy to use, and designed to use less water and electricity, they are great for lowering the monthly utility bill. For instance, you would save on water usage by an average of 7%. With the clothes being washed with less water but still getting perfectly clean, the amount of time it would take to dry the clothes would also be reduced by 7% or more.
Another option for saving money by reducing energy consumption specific to washing and drying clothes is to invest in a spin dryer. This compact machine is inexpensive and designed to spin clothes prior to being placed in the actual dryer. With the spin dryer, excess water is removed, which then allows the clothes to dry 30 minutes faster in the regular dryer. Using a spin dryer could save approximately $115 a year, making the machine a great investment.
A few additional tips for washing and drying clothes that would use less energy and therefore, save money include the following:
• Always clean the lint filter after each load of clothes otherwise, the dryer would use up to 30% more energy if the filter were covered with lint
• While dryer sheets work great for softening clothes and making them smell fresh and clean, these sheets produce a waxy buildup that cannot be seen. To remove this buildup from the lint filter, it should be cleaned once a week with water and a toothbrush. If this were not done, airflow going through the filter would be blocked, which would require more time for clothes to dry.
• Make sure the dryer is located in a part of the home where it would be warm. The reason is that if the dryer were sitting in a cold garage, extra time and energy would be required to warm the appliance up to use. However, if the dryer were in a heated room, the unit would heat up quicker and therefore, use less energy.
• Finally, find out if your electric company charges what is known as a “demand charge.” This charge would be based on a premium rate for appliances being used during peak times. If a demand charge applies, you have two options for saving money by using less energy. First, remember to wash your clothes early in the morning or late at night when demand on the electric company is low. Second, if you need to wash clothes during peak times, rather than run both the washing machine and dryer simultaneously, use just one at a time.
