Laundry Energy-Efficiency Tips

Did you know the average household spends over $100/year on electricity to wash and dry their clothes? With these simple suggestions, it’s easy to save energy in your laundry room!

WASH

1. USE COLD WATER. Water heating consumes about 90% of the energy it takes to operate a clothes washer. Unless you’re dealing with oily stains, washing in cold water will generally do a good job of cleaning. Switching your temperature setting from hot to warm can cut energy use in half. Using the cold cycle reduces energy use even more.
2. RUN FULL LOADS. Clothes washers use about the same amount of energy regardless of the size of the load, so run full loads whenever possible. If you need to run a small load, consider switching to a “Quick Wash” cycle to cut down on washing time.
3. BUY ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED APPLIANCES. On average, a new ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer uses 316 kWh of electricity and can save you about $35 a year on your utility bills compared to a standard model. Also, a full-sized ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer uses 14 gallons of water per load, compared to the 20 gallons used by a standard machine. That’s a savings of more than 2,000 gallons of water, per year!!

DRY

1. USE SENSOR DRYING. Use sensor drying, not timed drying. This feature ensures that your dryer will automatically shut off when clothes are dry. This also helps to avoid over drying clothes which can cause shrinkage.
2. DRY WITH LOW HEAT. Longer drying cycles on a low heat setting use less energy. The low heat is also more gentle on your clothing.
3. CLEAN THE LINT FILTER. Cleaning the air filter after each load will help to improve air circulation and increase drying time, as well as  being an important safety measure.
4. USE DRYER BALLS. The balls lift and separate laundry, allowing the hot air to flow more efficiently so loads dry faster.

For more helpful tips, visit ENERGY STAR. Washers that have earned the ENERGY STAR use 25% less energy and approximately 33% less water than standard models. Dryers that have earned ENERGY STAR use approximately 20% less energy than standard models.