This spring, we were using an alarming amount of energy compared to our budget billing but for the past 2-3 months, it's been under budget which is so odd to me since it's been so hot. I have been drying clothes on a line outside this summer and I'm wondering if that's the difference-maker. It's one of the biggest energy-suck appliances and ours is definitely an older/less efficient model but for two people worth of clothes drying, is it really making $100+ difference each month? It's really the only big change I can think of besides using the oven slightly less since we're grilling more.
Anyone notice a big change in energy consumption when they stopped using their dryer or got a more efficient model?
Re: Energy use by clothes dryer
Our Share of the Harvest:How a couple cooks from a CSA share. Pick Up Day Week 15
When you were running the dryer was the A/C also on?
We had neighbors who complained about my hanging DD's diapers on our back deck to dry- and I did a bunch of research on how much energy clothes dryers use and it was like 6% of all residential electricity (so not taking into account people who have gas dryers- I believe if you included that it would go up to 10%.) Another factor is that the dryer heats up the house, so if you have the A/C on while you are running the dryer, the A/C works harder because it has to counteract the heat generated by the dryer (I don't ever use the heated dry cycle of my D/W for the same reason, I just open it up at the end of the cycle, crack a nearby window and the dishes pretty much dry off by themselves.)
Still- I can't see how that would have a $100 difference, unless it was also coupled with your electricity prices going down overall- KWIM?
ETA- adding this link, which has a link to a spreadsheet I am too lazy to deal with -http://www.laundrylist.org/en/faq/35-general-laundry-questions/51--how-much-energy-is-actually-used-by-the-clothes-dryer