~I posted the one at Lehmans' in another thread but here it is again.~
How much does using a clothesline really save???
Does anyone know? Like, how much is one load in electricity? Surely not more than 25 cents or so? Or is it more?
THANKS
THANKS
21 - 32 of 32 Posts
Costs for your dryer
Hi - I'd be glad to help you figure out the cost of your dryer. I just need a couple of facts.....how long does it run typically to dry a load
of clothes? What is the wattage of your clothes dryer - your owner's manual or a name plate/sticker should say how many watts it consumes, and finally how much per kilowatt does your electric company charge. Some folks have a single rate that doesn't change throughout the day, and others have time of day meters (something you may want to ask your electric company) where electricity costs less during evening hours.
Once you have these numbers it's just a simple multiplication.
Take the watts / hour (from your nameplate or owner's manual) and multiply it by the length of time it takes to dry a load of clothes. Example 1200 watts / hour x 45 mins = 3/4 hour = .75 hour and you get
1200 x .75 = 900 watts
Since electricity is measured in Kwh or kilowatt hours when you find the cost of 1 kilowatt hour, this is the cost of 1000 watts for 1 hour.
Divide 900 Watts by 1000 and multiply by the cost of each kilowatt hour. If your company charges 18c / kilowatt hour the cost to run the example dryer is
900 divided by 1000 = .9 x 18c / kilowatt hour = $0.162 or 16.2 cents.
Let me know if you need any help with this.
Paul
Hi - I'd be glad to help you figure out the cost of your dryer. I just need a couple of facts.....how long does it run typically to dry a load
of clothes? What is the wattage of your clothes dryer - your owner's manual or a name plate/sticker should say how many watts it consumes, and finally how much per kilowatt does your electric company charge. Some folks have a single rate that doesn't change throughout the day, and others have time of day meters (something you may want to ask your electric company) where electricity costs less during evening hours.
Once you have these numbers it's just a simple multiplication.
Take the watts / hour (from your nameplate or owner's manual) and multiply it by the length of time it takes to dry a load of clothes. Example 1200 watts / hour x 45 mins = 3/4 hour = .75 hour and you get
1200 x .75 = 900 watts
Since electricity is measured in Kwh or kilowatt hours when you find the cost of 1 kilowatt hour, this is the cost of 1000 watts for 1 hour.
Divide 900 Watts by 1000 and multiply by the cost of each kilowatt hour. If your company charges 18c / kilowatt hour the cost to run the example dryer is
900 divided by 1000 = .9 x 18c / kilowatt hour = $0.162 or 16.2 cents.
Let me know if you need any help with this.
Paul
Hi - Home Depot or Lowe's has them!! Good Luck.
Paul
Paul
I noticed an $80 savings a month when I started line drying in combination with unplugging things when not in use...(I do not unplug stove,fridge,washer,dryer,alarm clock or TVs....only coffee pot,computer and chargers...)
Rough Math I guess
I use a clothes line whenever possible. The way I see it is that it takes me about 5 minutes combined to hang and take down the articles where it takes my dryer about 60 minutes to do the same. The dryer would cost about $85 per year (I think this is the average or is it per month?) on average about .36 cents a load just in energy, which equates to about 236 loads a year (5 loads per week sounds reasonable). Add the cost of the dryer of about $50 per year we're up to $135. The average family would look at a yearly clothing purchase budget of about $4,500/year and safe to say this would increase due to increased damage to clothing in a clothes dryer by conservatively 5%/year or $225/year for a family of 4. Repair on the same dryer would be about $20/year ($200/10years) So now our total is $280/year to use the clothes dryer or a decrease of $0.14/hour of my pay from my full time job. Conversely, if I pay myself to hang the clothes at $0.14/hour, I think it works out to $1.68/hour. ($0.14 x 12)I wonder too. I have read on here that some people are getting a Kill-o-watt and I wonder if they have used it on their dryer yet. I hope someone answers.
not sure on money savings but I do know that it saves on the wear and tear of your clothing! I just line dry in the basement and do fluff up some stuff in the dryer for just a few minutes or dewrinnkle for a few.
I don't linedry sheets, towels, blankets, underwear or socks.
I don't linedry sheets, towels, blankets, underwear or socks.
I read somewhere that, on average, you save 53 cents per load by line-drying.
We don't have a clothesline but I use the chain link fence around our dog pen to hang things on-------mainly pet blankets (we use a lot). I try to hang our sheets and towels there too as long as it's not allergy season. In my laundry room I use an old over-the-door shoe rack (not the kind with pockets) to hang bras, etc. on. We also have several clothes rods in our storage area upstairs where the dormer windows are and that's where I hang the majority of my clothes to dry.
So far DH and kids think I'm an aging hippie to hang clothes up to dry.
We don't have a clothesline but I use the chain link fence around our dog pen to hang things on-------mainly pet blankets (we use a lot). I try to hang our sheets and towels there too as long as it's not allergy season. In my laundry room I use an old over-the-door shoe rack (not the kind with pockets) to hang bras, etc. on. We also have several clothes rods in our storage area upstairs where the dormer windows are and that's where I hang the majority of my clothes to dry.
So far DH and kids think I'm an aging hippie to hang clothes up to dry.
I hang dry my clothes to save money and keep the heat out of the house in the summer but I also love the smell of line dried clothes and I love to see the clothes hanging on the line. I know I'm odd, I also love to see our chickens running around and I get excited every time I see our wheat swaying in the wind. 
Guess I was born about a hundred years too late! I am in Colorado and I dry my clothes inside during the winter to help keep the humidity up since it gets so dry. I have two folding racks that I put in front of our pellet stove and they dry fast and keep the moisture content up.
Guess I was born about a hundred years too late! I am in Colorado and I dry my clothes inside during the winter to help keep the humidity up since it gets so dry. I have two folding racks that I put in front of our pellet stove and they dry fast and keep the moisture content up.IMO line drying saves wear and tear on the dryer plus I get a little exercise and fresh air by hanging them outside.
I save about 45 dollars a month if I hang out everything. This summer it has been hard because of all the rain we have had.
If you have a Meijers in your area they sell them there.
I love hanging laundry outside. It is my favorite household chore. I love being outside. I love the smell of line dried laundry. I love seeing my laundry hanging in the sun. Line dried laundry is easier to fold. In fact, I fold sheets and jeans directly from the line into the laundry basket. My dryer was purchased in 1979 and I'm sure the reason its still functioning is because I hang outside when the weather allows. I no longer hang outside in cold weather. I also have lines in my basement but have not been using them because I'm 70 and not at ease with carrying baskets of wet laundry down the steps. I probably don't save all that much because our electric cost is fairly low and I have a gas dryer. My mother will turn 92 soon and she still hangs her laundry outside in good weather.
21 - 32 of 32 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Frugal Village Forums
A forum community dedicated to the frugal lifestyle and the enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about simple and green living, cost effective tips, life hacks, debt reduction, recycling, gardening, other homesteading techniques, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Top Contributors this Month
View All
Spirit Deer
179 Replies
Contrary Housewife
137 Replies
dlrcpa
78 Replies
Recommended Communities
