Wash and dry your clothes more efficiently

About 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water. Using less water and using cooler water are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes. Typical electric clothes washers and dryers generate 5 pounds of CO2 per washer/dryer cycle. In most cases, washing clothes in cold water gets them just as clean as washing them in warm or hot water, and the CO2 savings are substantial – about 2 pounds per load. You can further reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes by purchasing a new, front-loading machine.

  • Front-loading washing machines, also known as horizontal-axis washers, use much less water and energy than conventional top-loading, or vertical-axis, machines. This is because in a conventional top-loader machine, the tub must be filled with water to keep all the clothes wet. In contrast, a front-loading machine tumbles the clothes in water, thereby requiring less water because the tub does not need to be filled completely.

  • Resource-efficient washers also reduce the energy required for clothes drying. After completing the rinse cycle, these washers spin clothes faster than conventional top-loading washers, so the remaining moisture content of the clothes is lower. This means clothes need less time in the dryer. Field studies have also shown that resource-efficient washers are gentler on clothes. Less dryer time also reduces wear-and-tear.

  • As for clothes dryers, the energy use of dryers currently on the market does not vary widely. Other than the type of fuel you use to run you dryer, the major energy consideration is whether the dryer uses sensors to automatically turn off the dryer once clothes are dry and, if so, the type of sensing mechanism. "Compared with timed drying, you can save about 10% with temperature-sensing controls, and 15% with moisture-sensing controls."

  • The best way to save energy and money to dry your clothes is to hang them on a clothesline. By using a clothesline instead of your dryer, you can save 1,016 pounds of CO2 annually.
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