It's not the biggest room in the house and may even be relegated to your basement or garage, but the space in which you do your laundry is a space in which you can find plenty of ways to cut your energy usage and reduce your utility bill.
- Run your washing machine for full loads only.
- If you have more than one load of clothes to dry, try to do each load immediately after the one before to use the heat left over from the previous cycle and increase the efficiency of the dryer.
- If you are in the market for a new clothes dryer, consider purchasing one with a "moisture sensing" device that shuts off automatically when your clothes are dry so the dryer doesn't run longer than needed.
- Use warm or cold water for clothes washing whenever possible and always rinse with cold water.
- Organize your laundry loads, dry clothes together that need the same time and temperature, and try to dry full loads only.
- Clean the lint filter before drying each load. A clogged filter makes the dryer work harder and uses more energy to get clothes dry. Also clean the dryer drum periodically to remove lint.
- You can save energy dollars by using hot water only for heavily soiled laundry. Most laundry can be washed in warm water and lightly soiled loads can be washed in cold water. You can also save by using cold-water rinses for each load. The temperature of the water used during the rinse cycle will not make your clothes any cleaner.
- Drying heavy and light fabrics separately will also keep drying time to a minimum. Mixing different weight fabrics causes the dryer to run longer than necessary.
- Remember to check the lint filter before each load. Lint buildup blocks air flow and lengthens drying time, costing you energy dollars.
- Use four-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for laundry areas.
