Saving energy costs

[cinnamon]

If you are feeling the heat of the price of gas for your car you can do a couple things to save energy costs in other places.

When I grew up my mother always hung out the wash to dry. Now a days everyone seems to use the gas or electric dryer. The laundry line is free, and you can even hang one in your garage so you can dry on rainy days or if your laundry is on the level of your garage. This is free energy, and it only takes a minute to hang the clothes on the line. Use it.

My second way of saving energy is thru compact flourescent lamps. These lamps cost a little more the regular bulbs, but in my opinion, the regular bulbs should be outlawed. Compact flourescent bulbs use only 25 percent of the energy as the ancient incandescent lamps, yet everyone focuses on the cost of the bulb and not the long term energy cost used by the bulb.

Each compact flourescent bulb can save you $30 or more over it's life compared to a regular light bulb. Come on everyone, change out those old fashioned lights and move up to the modern light bulb. According to the EPA, if everyone changed JUST ONE BULB with a compact flourescent, if would have the same effect as taking 3 million cars off the road.

Each of those changes will help to offset the energy cost your feeling elsewhere right now.

[DrPepper]

I totally forgot about using a laundry line and just toss everything in the dryer. You're right about hanging out the clothes to dry for free. So thanks for reminding us about such a simple way to cut our energy costs.

[expatgirl]

My sister-in-law bought a retractable laundry line (heavy duty one) from Sears and attached it from her back porch to the kids' wooden fort when she needed it. She said that she saved a lot. Unfortunately, we're not set up for that as we have have nothing to attach it to--not even a tree. However, I do air dry quite a few things by hanging them from hangers and across my wrought iron chairs. I miss hanging out clothes when we stayed with my grandmother in the country-------she'd have to pen up, Flossie, the sheep or otherwise it would stand under the wet sheets to cool off. ha! You're absolute right, Cinnamon, there is a lot we can do.

[peacherina]

These are some good ideas and tips. We are trying to move. We re moving from a house to a townhouse. So the retractable line is a good option for us. Thanks

[oldbay]

I friend of mine dries her clothes in her townhouse 'garage'. I quote the garage because it's so small that if you were to pull your car in, then you couldn't open the door to get out and would have to climb out the window. I'm not kidding. It works well for her for storage and as a drying room.

[peacherina]

Thanks Oldbay. That is a good idea.

[DrPepper]

Originally Posted by oldbay

I quote the garage because it's so small that if you were to pull your car in, then you couldn't open the door to get out and would have to climb out the window.

I know this is a little off topic, but it's mind-boggling how builders build homes that aren't functional. Looks good from here

[PoorGirl]

I have my dryer and washer in the garage too, but I would not really want it in the house since it would heat up the house in the summer.

[TexasRose]

That actually does make sense, as the dryer certainly does heat up the house.

Of course, there are days when I wish my oven was in the garage too.

[ButtrflyDreams]

I would hang my clothes, but I don't have anywhere to hang them. The mobile home park I'm in won't allow lines to be hung on trees & I don't have any space in my mobile home to hang them. I do run fans instead of the air conditioner on cooler days to save on electric though.