saving energy

before i start, you should go check out the top 5 list on how to save energy over at green your life.

so, if you are looking for an easy way to start saving energy at home, look at how you do your laundry. first of all, you should only wash full loads (this also goes for your dishwasher). your washing machine is going to use the same amount of energy no matter what, and if you don't fill it, you're just wasting water. your machine works most efficiently when it is full. and if you think you can get away with doing a few smaller loads, think about this: two small loads are using up more water than just one full load. anyway, if you're anything like me, you are probably waiting to do laundry until the last possible moment, when you have absolutely nothing left to wear; filling the machine is no problem. just don't cram it too full, because then it won't be able to work very well.

second - always use cold water when you are doing laundry. hot water is NOT going to get your clothes any cleaner. most of the energy used when doing laundry (85-90%!) goes toward heating the water. think of all that energy you're saving by not heating the water at all. and if that's not incentive enough, hot water is worse for your clothes. it wears at them more quickly and makes colors fade faster; cold water is your best option all around.

if you're not convinced, i've been doing both of these things since i first started doing laundry myself...my clothes are always clean plus i'm saving a ton of energy. oh, and another thing - you can also use a little less energy by using a shorter wash cycle; detergents do all the work they can in the first ten minutes, so after that you're just wasting energy and time. also, if you're in the market for a new washing machine, check out the energy star certified ones.