Doing the laundry is a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to be a drain on your CPS Energy bill.  Here are some ways to save energy in washing and drying your clothes: 

• Whenever it’s possible, wash your clothes in cold water.  Hot-water uses a whopping 85-90 percent more energy.
• Compare washing and drying costs.  A 1200-watt clothes washer costs about 10 cents per hour to operate.  An electric clothes dryer uses 3120 watts and costs about 25 cents per hour, while gas dryers save about 6 cents per load versus electric.  For eight loads a week, that’s a savings of about $25 per year.
• Use a drying rack or a clothes line to cut drying costs even further.
• Purchase a pair of dryer balls.  They reduce drying time by tumbling in the dryer to lift and separate laundry and allow hot air to circulate more effectively.
• Dry loads of clothes back-to-back, and take advantage of heat build-up in the dryer.
• Clean the dryer’s lint filter after every load of clothes. Your dryer will dry more efficiently, requiring less running time.
• Wait until after dark to do the laundry.  That way your air conditioner doesn’t have to work harder to fight the heat of the day as well as the heat caused by the dryer.
• Wash full loads to use less energy per pound of laundry.