Save a load of energy when doing laundry

by. Robert Yang | Dec. 4, 2022

I’m not a fan of doing laundry. Folding clothes is just too tedious to do after a long day of work. Sometimes, I leave a finished batch of laundry in the dryer for three days before I finally fold it. What I also don’t like about doing laundry is that the washing machine and dryer require lots of energy and add to my electricity bill. Thankfully, applying energy-saving practices is a little more exciting than folding laundry. You can also follow these tips in the laundry room to lower your energy usage as well.

Use cold water

When appliances need to generate heat, they consume more energy. Unless your clothes are incredibly dirty, you can switch to the cold-water cycle and get the same great results. Cold water also prevents shrinking and fading in addition to cutting energy use.

Wash full loads

If you’re doing a quarter load, half load or full load, your washing machine will use a similar amount of energy. It makes more sense to hold off until you have a full load of dirty laundry. If you need something specific laundered immediately then handwashing and hang drying will be the more energy-efficient route.

Reduce drying time

Dryers generate heat and, as I mentioned earlier, heat-generating appliances use a lot of energy. One way to reduce drying time is to use wool dryer balls, which you can order on Amazon or pick up from any big box retailer. They separate clothes during the drying process, which allows the hot air to better circulate in the dryer. Wool also tends to absorb moisture. While some people claim they also reduce static, in my experience it doesn’t reduce it to a point where I’ve stopped using dryer sheets. Your experience may vary on that part.

You can also reduce drying time by separating heavier items from lightweight ones. If you’re washing towels, rugs or blankets then it’s more energy efficient to dry them separately from your clothes. If you mix these bulkier items with your regular clothing, there’s a high chance that a normal drying cycle will still leave you with wet clothes. If so, you may need to keep running the dryer until your load is completely dry, which may take multiple cycles.

Clean the lint trap

The lint trap catches most of the lint from your laundry before it enters the dryer vent. If there’s a lot of lint in the vent it can cause your dryer to overheat. Overheated dryers require more energy to work. Also, excessive lint is flammable and keeping it in an overheated machine is a fire hazard. So be sure to clean those lint traps!

Laundry is something that we do often so making small changes over time can lead to real savings.

When you do have extra savings, consider investing in an ENERGY STAR®-certified washer and dryer, which meet government standards for energy efficiency. You can also try a heat pump dryer, which is even more energy efficient, but is a bit pricier.

You can always hang dry your clothes to eliminate a chunk of energy use! Don’t forget to also check out Hawaii Energy, which provides resources to help you save energy both inside and outside the laundry room.

Robert Yang is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company.