Use clothes lines & racks to dry at least half of your laundry
Clothes dryers use 5-10% of a household’s daily energy use and are one of the most expensive home appliances to operate ($100-$200/year). They are also one of the most dangerous causing more than 15,000 home fires annually. If you would like to know how much energy and money it takes to launder your household’s clothes, try out this calculator.
Instead, line-dry your clothes inside or outside. Explore clothesline and rack options on urbanclotheslines.com. If you think that your homeowner’s association or condominium prohibits the use of clotheslines, here’s some good news! Maryland’s “Right-to-Dry” legislation (SB 224) went into effect on October 1, 2010 and requires condominium associations, homeowner associations, and cooperatives to allow homeowners to install clotheslines on their property. Learn more about the benefits of air-drying clothes.
TIP: Using hangers can really reduce the length of clothes line you need. (You’ll need a rod or taut wire for this approach). Use each hanger as a mini-clothes line for socks, dish towels, and the like. Install a rod over your washer dryer or use your shower rod for hangers during rainy or winter weather.
If you have severe allergies to pollen, check the weather and the Air Quality Index before you hang your clothes outside.
Eliminating the use of a large appliance can be one way to reduce the overall energy consumption of household appliances. When appliances reach the end of their useful life, consider if a replacement is really necessary. Also remember to recycle or properly dispose of old appliances when you purchase a replacement. Continuing to run an inefficient appliance, such as an extra refrigerator in the garage, can be costly. Not only will the old unit be less efficient than its replacement, but it may even use more energy by being operated in an unconditioned space.
Wash clothes in cold water at least 75% of the time
When you wash your clothes in hot water, only 10% of the required energy goes to running the machine; 90% goes to heating the water. In most cases, cold water cleans clothing just as well as warm water. Cold water washing results in the biggest energy savings, but even switching temperature settings from hot to warm can cut the energy used to heat a machine load of water in half. Learn more about the benefits of washing in cold water and other energy-saving laundry tips.
Also known as a “demand” or “instantaneous” water heater, the tankless systems can conserve up to 34% of energy compared to a conventional hot water tank. Tankless hot water heaters and installation services are available at stores like Home Depot and Lowes. Learn more about tankless water heaters from EnergyStar.gov or check out these do-it-yourself instructions for installation. Washington Gas offers rebates to homeowners and contractors for natural gas tankless water heaters.
You can reduce the amount of energy used for water heating by needing less water when you shower. Federal regulations mandate that new showerhead flow rates cannot exceed 2.5 gallons per minute at 80 pounds per square inch. A low-flow showerhead can achieve water savings of 25-60%. Learn more about low-flow showerheads from EnergySavers.gov. Check out this video to learn how to install a low-flow showerhead.
Potomac Edison customers with electric hot water can receive a low-flow showerhead with a Home Energy Check Up
Choosing a low-flow showerhead does not mean that you have to sacrifice the great feeling of a therapeutic shower. There is a wide variety of showerheads available to suit your specific needs. Look for products at your local hardware store with the WaterSense label to ensure maximum water savings.
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