If you had $20...?

Question

to spend on cutting energy use, would you do it?

All it takes to cut your summer energy use by around 25% is to hang a clothes line. 2 poles and some clothesline. Would you do it?

Answer 1

Another option would be to buy some heavy duty metal (not vinyl) blinds for any windows that get a lot of summer sun.  That could cut your air conditioning & energy use.

Answer 2

Well I already do that, my line is attached to a tree though, but it's a great idea to do and is less expensive than contiuned use of a dryer, especially during the summer.

Answer 3

I have my eye on a spot out front to plant a tree this fall.  (Summer is a bad time to plant native species in SoCal), and $20 would more than cover it.  The tree would grow up within 5 years or so to block the harsh afternoon sun that falls on the side of the house.

And the birds would save energy by having a spot to take refuge closer to where my neighbor feeds them!

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Well, I have solar panels so... ... 1 word: IHOP!

Answer 6

I hang my clothes on the line whenever the weather is nice enough to allow it.  I only use the clothes dryer in the winter, and only then for towels and socks.  I have wooden racks and a clothes line in the basement for drying in the winter.  I just don't have enough space to hang the towels & socks in the basement, so I use the dryer for those items only.  Oh, and also my big heavy quilt goes in the dryer in the winter, too.

Answer 7

This is a very fun question.  I would like to answer room by room in my house.  I'll start with the bathroom, I would replace the overhead light with cfls, 1 at $7.00, then by a new 5 gallon bucket to conserve the water from taking showers to use on my garden, $5.00 for the bucket.  Finally I would spend the last  $8.00 on a second close rack to hang up close that have been wore once but could be worn again before going in the wash.

The kitchen,  their are probably a million things I could in this room to save energy, I wont mention replacing light bulbs with cfls.  In this room I would spend half on a couple of dish racks to do dishes on to save energy by not using the dish washer, and the other half on blinds for the window to keep the room cool without running the air conditioner.  

These are just two rooms where you can easily come up with ways to save energy every room in the house has similar energy saving solutions associated with them.  Thanks for the question and Keep Thinking GREEN.

Answer 8

buy an ax and start cutting wood for winter

Answer 9

Actually I was thinking of doing this.  Putting up a clothes line that is.  The cost to run a dry for 1 hour a day equals about $50  a month.  We've got 4 people in our family so our dryer frequently runs 2+ hours a day so this is a good idea.  Some home owners associations actually frown on clothes lines so if anyone else is thinking of it you may want to check your neighborhood bylaws first (how dumb is that really).