Introduction to Energy Conservation

There are many ways to save energy, from modest efforts like installing fluorescent lightbulbs to expensive efforts like investing in solar panels. But one surefire way to lower energy costs is to invest in a clothes drying rack or a clothes line so that you only use the dryer inside when it's cold or rainy or to finish off a damp load.

It's amazing really that so many of us have become accustomed to using the dryer, when the climate here makes this illogical and inefficient. According to this great website, dryers use 10 to 15% of domestic energy in the U.S. Another source says, No it's only 6%.

Buying a metal or wood drying rack and trying it out is the first step, although I found that the first two I tried broke under the weight of wet, heavy towels. In the end a stronger metal rack from Bed Bath and Beyond did the trick and it's really no trouble to rotate out a load or two or three during the day unless you have absolutely no time to do it. If you don't want to look at what Bed Bath and Beyond have, there are many offered on the web if you google "clothes drying rack." Check out these offerings on Amazon here - the one that works for me is the Polder Compact Accordion which so far has proved sturdy enough. This is it: