Intro

Did you grow up in a home where laundry dried on a clothesline? I did. These days, with an eye toward conserving energy, Caroline and I are going old school. But how much energy does it actually save to let the sun and wind do the work instead of the dryer? Let’s crunch some numbers!

Energy saved per load

A conventional electric dryer typically uses about 2.5–4.0 kWh per load. By line-drying, we’re saving that energy. Our dryer is relatively new and ENERGY STAR compliant, so I’ll use 3.0 kWh/load for estimating. By the way, kWh stands for kilowatt hours. Guh?! Didn’t help? We’ll unravel kWh shortly.

Loads per year

In the U.S., the “average family” washes around 300 loads of laundry each year. We’re a two-adult household, so I’m going to cut that figure in half to 150 loads/year.

That’s roughly three loads a week - which sounds about right for Caroline and me.

Take the winter off

Since we live in a northerly climate, we line dry for about 8 out of 12 months of the year, or 67% of the time.

Annual electricity saved

Putting it all together:

(3.0 kWh/load) * (150 loads/year) * (0.67 year) = 300 kWh

For most of us civilians, it’s hard to wrap our heads around 300 kWh. Let’s translate that into some measures we do understand.

What’s that in dollars?

Across the U.S. in 2025, residential electric prices average about 16–18¢ per kWh. For Caroline and me, the going rate is 16¢/kWh, so 300 kWh becomes:

(300 kWh) * ($0.16/kWh) = $48

Other comparables

A modern, full-size ENERGY STAR refrigerator uses 400–700 kWh/year.

(300 kWh/(400 kWh/year)) * (12 months/year) = 9 months

That means our savings of 300 kWh is equal to running our fridge for 9 months.

As another comparison, consider a typical electric vehicle (EV) that averages 3 miles/kWh.

(300 kWh) * (3 miles/kWh) = 900 miles

In other words, 300 kWh becomes 900 miles of EV driving. That’s like driving from Pittsburgh to Chicago and back.

Wrap it up

By line-drying for 8 months of the year and doing 3 loads/week, we’re saving 300 kWh and $48 per year. That’s the equivalent of:

  • running a full-size ENERGY STAR fridge for 9 months
  • driving an electric vehicle 900 miles.

Not too bad for something as simple as a piece of rope and some clothespins.