Saving Energy at Home, Part I

Back to the Past....Using a Clothesline
My electrical bill is now consideralby higher than it was last year, so, like many people, I really need to cut energy use. How? Try Grandmom's method.

Any form of heat generation uses a lot of energy, and that includes your clothes dryer. So you might want to try a clothesline. If you don't have a suitable place outside (some municipalities and homeowner's associations won't allow outside clotheslines) see if you have an appropriate spot in a dry finished basement or attic where you can screw some eyebolts solidly into studs. (Clothes won't dry in a damp basement. They will, however, mildew. Ugh.)

Outside, you'll need also some solid anchors, (it's surprising how much pull wind blowing through blankets or sheets can generate) though unless you're planning to dry tons of clothes, you don't need the traditional steel multi-line T-top posts. I just have a line strung between eyebolts in the tops of two four-by-fours sunk solidly into the ground about eight feet apart. I can dry five or six towels, a few sheets or five or six cotton T-shirts at a time....and in the hot Texas sun, they dry quite quickly, believe me.

I don't dry everything outside, just heavy stuff that takes a long time to dry in my dryer, such as blankets and towels. One caution though, if you do this....be sure to put some liquid softener in your washing machines rinse cycle or your towels and blankets will end up feeling like planks.

Any clean, dry place in your house will work. And this saves a lot of energy.....you should see how fast the wheel spins on my electric meter when my dryer is on.

Turn Electronic Equipment All the Way Off
When you leave your VCR, your computers, monitors, printers, TVs or other electronic equipment in "Sleep" or "Standby" mode, they're still using electricity. At the end of the day, switch this equipment completely off and save on your electrical bill. One way to make this easier is to plug a number of them into a one-switch power strip. Just be cautious though, with things that lose programming if you switch them completely off, such as routers.

Don't Heat Your Closets!
It makes no sense to heat unused space, so keep your closet and storage area doors closed. If you have rooms you don't normally use, like a guest bedroom, keep that door closed too, and shut the heating vents. Just make sure you don't leave a room with exposed or uninsulated water lines unheated....or accidently lock a heat-sensitive plant or one of your pets inside.