Laundry

The two highest energy uses when doing laundry are:

1. heating hot water
2. using a clothes dryer

Whether you rent and go to a laundromat (like I do), or do your laundry at home, rethinking how you do your laundry to reduce how much energy you use (and save money!) can be as simple as washing in cold water, and air drying.

Cold water, full loads

Hot water heating accounts for about 90% of the energy your washing machine uses to wash clothes — only 10 percent goes to electricity used by the washer motor. Washing clothing in full loads can save more than 3,400 gallons of water each year!

Air dry

The average dryer uses 3.3 kilowatt hours of energy, meaning at an average electricity rate of 11 cents per kilowatt hour, using a dryer for 48 minutes uses 2.64 kWh of electricity, and costs a little over a quarter ($0.29). However, the cost to dry my clothing at the laundromat is a quarter for every 6 minutes, so I would end up spending $2.00 for the same 48-minute drying time. I choose to save money and bring laundry home to dry on a rack (see photo below). A bonus to air drying in winter is that due to the dry air (low relative humidity level) already in a room, the evaporation adds moisture to the room, and clothes dry fairly quickly. Plus, your clothes will likely last longer!