Air It Out: Dry Smarter, Save Energy, Protect the Planet

Consumers could save $21 billion over the next 30 years using more efficient residential clothes dryers, estimates the United States Department of Energy.

Hanging laundry to dry uses no fuel or electricity and produces no pollution, but takes a little more time than throwing a damp load in the dryer. Another way to save energy is to upgrade from a vented blower dryer to a ventless condensing or heat pump clothes dryer. Stricter efficiency standards have been approved for clothes drying appliances to be sold in the United States that are projected to save tens of billions of dollars, effectively securing energy for more beneficial uses over the next three decades. You don’t need to wait to save, though. You can hang laundry to dry or install a ventless clothes dryer so you can begin spending your energy dollars more wisely today.

Two That Matter Most

To know how well you are meeting your need for clean laundry without wasting energy or creating unnecessary pollution, these two indicators matter most:

• How much energy you use.
• Whether you blow air through your laundry to produce microplastic air pollution.