Washing and Drying clothes ?

Question

In the USA does it matter if you wash and dry your clothes at night to save on energy or is it only in Overseas' countries where that counts ??

My hubby says it's only in overseas... he thinks he's always right on everything and tells my kids that.

Answer 1

We pay the same at all hours. I've found that doing laundry or running the dishwasher or vacuum cleaner during the coolest hours of the day (early morning or very late evening in West Texas) during the summer months helps because it prevents the A/C from running so much. Any activity that generates heat and causes the air conditioner to run more is more costly if performed during the heat of the day. The same applies during the winter months when the heat generated may help prevent the furnace working so hard.

Answer 2

The USA has many different electric companies and they all seem to have different pricing policies.  Where I lived in CA, it was cheaper to do laundry during certain times - here in VA, the electric company I use has the same rate the whole 24 hour day.  Call your electric company - they'll tell you.

Answer 3

During times of peak usage of electricity (especially when everyone is using air conditioning), it's recommended by the utility companies to do things like laundry in the evening.  This is to help prevent a brownout or blackout.  You will not save any energy this way.  The amount of energy usage is the same no matter when you use it.

Answer 4

I never heard of this, We pay the same no matter what time. It is good to wait until night because in the summer there is a lot of pull on the power supply during the day.

Answer 5

You can do laundry after the peak hours to save money. Where I live they want to put in smart meters to charge you more for the electricity you use during the day or peak hours. I wash in the morning and hang to dry outside when I can. Every penny counts.

P.S. he isn't always right, and the kids will figure it out one day.