What does it REALLY cost to run your energy guzzling household appliances? (Less than you think)

Floss

I'm sorry, but I really cannot believe that adults in 2022, in an energy & cost of living crisis, won't consider hanging out their laundry because the size of one's undies might concern the neighbours, or because it makes the garden untidy.

Am I living in a parallel universe? My energy direct debit has just doubled and I live alone, wfh 3/5 days in a well insulated 14 year old home. Why are folk so concerned about appearances, rather than their energy consumption & bills?

ragz_2

Not just the cost either, we are facing a climate emergency. I don't care what my (lovely) neighbours think of my washing and I hang out my giant knickers with impunity. Though one does take the mickey out of my haphazard washing hanging as hers is always ordered by size and colour!

I used to use my tumble dryer 5 times a week, as it's downstairs in the garage so I have to carry everything upstairs, through the house, across the patio and up more steps to the washing line. I always used the excuse that I'm tired from work and don't have the time.
I bought an airer for £14.99 in Lidl that has paid for itself in a month and now I only have to bring the washing into the living room. 
Yes, my living room now has a huge airer in it, but I'm saving £10+ a month and reducing our environmental impact.

Re cost of running appliances, I discovered that having an Xbox on standby uses £15 a year in electricity (I used a monitor thing), which isn't surprising given how warm and noisy the transformer is when it's plugged in. We have two in the house, now off at the wall when not in use. 

ragz_2

Oh and I have an air fryer, I will test that with my plug in device next time. 

Floss

I have to admit to grouping my knickers by style but then they have an audience of 6 neighbouring homes, if my neighbours have the time / inclination to watch my whirligig 🤣

Happy_Sloth

i don't hang my undies outside... it makes me feel uncomfortable.. i have never thought of myself as a prude but heyhoo... maybe i am. 

BUT i don't dry them in the TD either... the TD is for drying emergencies only..  i just hang them on a maiden, 

mumf

Floss said:

I'm sorry, but I really cannot believe that adults in 2022, in an energy & cost of living crisis, won't consider hanging out their laundry because the size of one's undies might concern the neighbours, or because it makes the garden untidy.

Am I living in a parallel universe? My energy direct debit has just doubled and I live alone, wfh 3/5 days in a well insulated 14 year old home. Why are folk so concerned about appearances, rather than their energy consumption & bills?

I must admit,I raised an eyebrow at that too. There are only two of us here,but our incomes are not huge,so we have done an audit to cut power consumption. We certainly don’t worry about washing on the line making the garden ‘untidy’.In fact ,anyone who likes a ‘tidy’ garden would have a seizure if they saw the stacks of logs and firewood! That garden pays its way,by drying washing,being a log storage area,allotment and home for some hens too. 

greenbee

mumf said:

Floss said:

I'm sorry, but I really cannot believe that adults in 2022, in an energy & cost of living crisis, won't consider hanging out their laundry because the size of one's undies might concern the neighbours, or because it makes the garden untidy.

Am I living in a parallel universe? My energy direct debit has just doubled and I live alone, wfh 3/5 days in a well insulated 14 year old home. Why are folk so concerned about appearances, rather than their energy consumption & bills?

I must admit,I raised an eyebrow at that too. There are only two of us here,but our incomes are not huge,so we have done an audit to cut power consumption. We certainly don’t worry about washing on the line making the garden ‘untidy’.In fact ,anyone who likes a ‘tidy’ garden would have a seizure if they saw the stacks of logs and firewood! That garden pays its way,by drying washing,being a log storage area,allotment and home for some hens too. 

Most of my garden is at the front, and for about 5 years the main washing line was there too. One of the neighbours did get quite exercised about it (I dry washing at weekends…) which the others thought was hilarious. Now I have two extendable lines at the back, but because that’s quite narrow, I still have an extendable line that I can use at the front, for things like airing duvets (or drying sails!). I find neatly-pegged washing blowing in the breeze (and preferably sunshine) strangely pleasing. 

I also have log stores, veg beds, coal bunker etc, but have integrated them into the garden so they feel part of it rather than ‘mess’. Then again, some people may view my swathes of primroses as ‘mess’ if they like stripes in the lawn…

QueenJess

I like my towels not too soft, but I do blast them for 20 mins in the dryer (it’s an integrated washer/drier) or the odd time for 40 mins, then hang them up. Nothing else uses the drier.

All our clothes are hung up on airers inside as we don’t have a washing line, there isn’t a huge amount of space outside, the neighbours are prone to having BBQs/random fires and never warn us in advance and I think it would take longer outside whilst trying to control a baby. 

We’ve got used to drying them inside on an airer, but then we have a new and very well ventilated/air filtered house and so I just put the clothes in the bathroom or on the landing. They dry quite quickly and then I put them away as they are close to where they need to go away. In the hot summer I do sometimes put the airers outside on the patio (it’s pretty good for drying nappies I have to admit) but I doubt I will this year with a little one as they would be thrown all round the garden! I don’t care about neighbours seeing my washing, although I would rather dry underwear and socks inside just because they are small and fiddly and it feels less effort to do it inside where they won’t fall off the airer/blow away.

Katiehound

Floss said:

I'm sorry, but I really cannot believe that adults in 2022, in an energy & cost of living crisis, won't consider hanging out their laundry because the size of one's undies might concern the neighbours, or because it makes the garden untidy.

Am I living in a parallel universe? My energy direct debit has just doubled and I live alone, wfh 3/5 days in a well insulated 14 year old home. Why are folk so concerned about appearances, rather than their energy consumption & bills?

I love that comment: pretty much summed up what I feel: I'm in your parallel universe, you are not alone!!

I always hang my wash outside- weather permitting- even in December I think, however I know neighbours never do, I can hear the washing machine or TD going at all times of day or night: they must have money to burn!

I have a suspicion that putting clothes in the dryer wears them out more quickly.

You can't beat the smell of air dried clothes which is why I steer clear of strongly scented washing liquid & rarely use soft rinse. (Even more strongly 'scented')

Spendless

Slinky said:

I don't bother hanging smalls outside, I find them too fiddly to bother with, they just go on an airer inside. I'd never put them in the drier - surely lingerie is at risk from shrinking?

I've just been able to start hanging stuff outside again for the first time in about 4 weeks; the builders covered up the hole where the rotary drier post goes with a large pile of dirt when they had to dig a new soakaway.

My teenage daughter has been complaining about hers becoming too small recently. Personally I think it's the fridge &  freezer to blame rather than the tumble dryer. 

I've dried ours  in there for some years - I really need to buy one of those space saving gadgets so I can line dry again. Can't remember a single incidence of anything being shrunk.