Use the Sun, Kill a Watt!

Spring is now upon us and you know what that means? Beside pollen and allergy irritations, it means sunlight, warmth, and wind. Beside being great for going outside, getting a tan, and harnessing solar power, there’s no better time to get started putting sunlight to use drying your clothes. This “throwback” technology is a simple, cheap, and effective way to cut down energy cost for you, help keep your clothes in good shape (dryers are very harsh on clothes even on their lowest settings), and feel good about sustainability.

Just how much energy would you save? According to the 2001 Department of Energy residential End-Use consumption survey clothes dryers consume 5.8% of total home energy use. Cut out a tumble dryer and that percentage is savings every month. According to Project Laundry List, “It typically costs 30 to 40 cents to dry a load of laundry in an electric dryer and approximately 15 to 20 cents in a gas dryer. Over its expected lifetime of 18 years, the average clothes dryer will cost you approximately $1,530 to operate.” Worse (or better) yet, these statistics do not account for commercial and multi-family clothes-dryers, so the savings could be even higher. Consider that about 35% of American households wash 2-5 loads each week, and 30% wash 6-9 loads per week, there are lots of savings to be had. Also consider that Energy Star, the nation’s leading consumer energy saving program does not label any tumble dryers as “there is little difference in energy use among models”. This says to me they’re all energy hogs and that’s something college students, and the planet, can happily do without.

But what are the costs of switching to an outside clothesline? Like any sustainable alternative there are trade-offs. There’s the matter of space. Contrary to popular belief you don’t have to occupy a lot of space if you choose an “umbrella clothesline”, like mine, which only occupies 73" wide x 73" deep x 72" high with 12 lines and 165 feet of drying space. That’s less than the size of most apartment porches, making it a very good alternative to the traditional clothesline, especially for college students. As for drying space I can say from experience a full load of laundry is comfortably accommodated.

Next is the logistics. You’ll have to pay for the clothesline (most are under $50 and available around town) and potentially ground it in concrete or an umbrella stand (mine was a hand-me-down from my girlfriend’s grandmother who hadn’t used it in years). You’ll have to make sure there are no ordinances or renter rules against them, and understand you do run the risk of theft or having others see your underwear (Tip: you can hang those on the inside and block them from view).

Placement and timing are important factors to consider. You’ll need a spot that gets decent sun (and ideally wind) usually for at least 2 hours per load, which can certainly slow down your efficiency, but consider how nice it can be to lounge around on a Saturday/Sunday and get some rays while you hang your clothes, save money on energy and on new clothes not worn out by your dryer. It usually only takes 20 minutes or less to hang a full load, and then the savings just take care of themselves – purely passive savings. Just remember to keep an eye on the forecast to know what day to designate for laundry. (Tip: invite a friend to help and share the joy of this traditional clothes drying technology.)

Matthew Epperson, Blog Author
Office of Sustainability Intern

I emphasize honesty because I wouldn’t expect anyone to make this transition with anything less than realistic expectations. Your clothes will feel a little stiff at first, you’ll be spending more time on your laundry, and still have to use a dryer when conditions aren’t right. But you’ll be harnessing the sun’s rays directly, take the smell of outside with you on your clothes, save money, and hopefully feel good getting back to traditional wisdom and going green.

References

“Best Practices.”
“How much energy is actually used by the clothes dryer?”