Make Going Green a Breeze – Line Dry Your Clothes
Despite the convenience of the clothes dryer and decades of objections to backyards full of clothes, line drying your clothes is coming back. Americans are now looking at the clothesline, as a way to save money on energy and reduce their impact on the environment.
Up until the early part of the 20th century, there was no other way to dry your clothes than hanging them out on a line and no one thought anything about it. Near the end of the 20th century, clothes dryers became popular. Today, a renewed consciousness about the environment and the high cost of utility have many people starting to dry their clothes outdoors again. It saves money and helps save the environment.”
Here are some facts to consider in favor of line drying:
1. Electric dryers account for 5 to 10 percent of a household’s energy costs.
2. There are more than 88 million dryers in the United States today. Each one consumes about 1,079 kilowatt-hours of energy per household and releases 2,224 pounds of carbon dioxide.
3. Repeated mechanical drying can significantly shorten the wearable life of an article of clothing. Clothes dryers can cause shrinkage, pilling, stretching, pulls and static electricity.
4. Across the country, homeowners are challenging local community bans on clotheslines, which is opening doors for this cost saving and ecological method of drying clothes.
New line drying systems are addressing appearance concerns and space constraints, making them a fit even in the suburban landscape. Yard-based rotary units now collapse. Other systems use a wall-hung unit to house retractable lines. Homeowners simply mount the units on the side of the house and stretch the lines to a discrete anchor point. When done, they can retract the lines back into the unit. Still another option is a wall-mounted frame that extends a few feet from the wall when in use, then folds down flat against the wall when you’re done with it. And expandable indoor units can do double duty on a deck or patio.
Convenience has long been the big advantage of the electric clothes dryer. This has significantly changed with these new line drying systems. People no longer need to have two unattractive poles, sunk in the ground at opposite ends of the yard with several lines strung between them. These modern line dryers are collapsible, retractable and designed to provide maximum utility in a minimum of space.
Americans, it seems, are also finding benefits beyond cost and energy savings. Some people are turning hanging the clothes out into an opportunity for the family to spend some quality time together in the fresh air. Others find sitting on their back deck and watching their rotary clothes dryer turn in the breeze to be very restful. Plus, parents can and do use line drying as a practical lesson in green living for their children.
Did you know that in Australia and New Zealand, 90 to 95 percent of the population line-dry their laundry? On the other hand Americans are just catching on and it’s because they are viewing it as a very cost-effective green home improvement to get one of these systems installed.
All in all, the bottom line does seem to be the money saving benefit, though the environment is not far behind. Line drying saves money and it’s a “green” home improvement at a time when even the smallest eco-friendly improvement can add value to a home and to your bottom line.
Alternative Cooling
On a hot summer day my favorite alternative cooling device is sitting outside enjoying a tall glass of ice tea. It’s portable, easy to operate and provides instant on-demand refreshment.
Alternatively you can install solar panels, or a wind turbine to generate the electricity it takes to run an air conditioner. The only other true whole house alternative cooling method is to use a geothermal ground source pump. Though the cost of this type of system can be recouped fairly quickly, in as little as two years on a new house installation, the initial capital cost outlay is more than most homeowners can afford.
It could cost some where around $20,000. Now let’s say you spend $20,000 on your house and you have a choice between a new kitchen and a geothermal heat pump; which do you think most people are going to have done. Not many of your neighbors are showing off their new heat pump are they?
So let’s consider some less expensive options to keep cool this summer:
Fans are a great choice:
Ceiling, paddle, and portable fans produce air motion which increases evaporative cooling when it moves across your skin. Even moderate breeze of two to three km. an hour can extend your comfort range by several degrees.
Whole House Fans:
A whole house fan is a simple and inexpensive method of cooling a house. A large fan or several set in your ceiling draws cool outdoor air inside through open windows and exhausts hot indoor air through the attic to the outside. Running a whole house fan whenever outdoor temperatures are lower than indoor temperatures will cool a house. These devices can reduce your air conditioning costs by 50% or more. An AirScape whole house fan may be your best home-energy savings investment.
Use White Roofing:
Shingling your house with white shingle reflects the sun and heat. An attic space under white shingles can be 20degrees cooler than one under black shingle and a cooler attic means a cooler or easier cooled house. Elastomeric roof coatings are great for flat roofs as they reflect 90% of the sun’s rays and will reduce the indoor temperature by 7 degrees according to the independent research laboratory MER Corporation. These coatings are only for flat roofs and have a moderate cost of around .50 cents per square foot to apply.
Radiant Barriers especially effective in the south:
These shiny, reflective barriers keep excess heat out of your attic in the summer or help keep your floors warm in the winter. Stapled under the rafters or joists, it reflects 97 of the radiant heat that strikes it. The non-profit Florida Solar Energy Center has shown that an attic radiant barrier can reduce air conditioning costs by at least 20%.
How to save and still use an air-conditioner:
-Clean the filter once a month.
-Turn off your A/C when you leave for more than an hour. It saves money.
-Draw the shades while you’re at work.
-Close off unused rooms or, if you have central A/C, close the registers in those rooms and shut the doors.
-Set your A/C thermostat at 78°F or higher if you have ceiling fans. For each degree you raise the thermostat, you’ll save 3%-5% on cooling costs.
Don’t forget Weatherization:
You know it, right? The only people who haven’t learned the value of caulking, weather stripping and insulating yet are living in caves or tents.
Make wise choices and make changes that make sense and that you can afford. Before you know it you will be saving money and helping our planet.