Electric Utility Giving Away 75,000 Clotheslines
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
We are awash in terrible laundry puns as the local electric utility, Toronto Hydro, gives away 75,000 clotheslines at our little neighbourhood Costcos, Home Depots, Wal-Marts and Zellers stores. We won't be churlish and suggest that they could throw a line to a few small-marts and NOT do this only at the Big Boxes, because it is a terrific idea.
“This is the first time we’re doing the campaign with a clothesline,” Toronto Hydro spokeswoman Denise Attallah spun dryly to the National Post. Hydro hopes to cut demand by 5% through conservation and demand management.
One might complain about the difficulty of using a clothesline in the middle of winter, but using one only 25% of the time can save 225 kilowatt-hours per year. If all 75,000 lines are put to use like this, it will save enough energy to power more than 1900 homes. That's a load. ::Toronto Hydro
Now why aren't they giving them out on National Hanging Out Day?
great article..
To nitpick, you should say kilowatt-hours or kWh, not kilowatt/hours, as energy is power multiplied by time, not divided. And yes, I know that the hyphen looks like a minus sign, but it's still better than /.
LA I agree, I will correct it, but it is still better than the National Post article that just said Kilowatts.
I hope other electric utilities follow suit - sdg&e in San Diego (a city with over 335 great drying a year) would be a great starting point.
According to their website - www.sdge.com - they're committed to the environment...
Hey, good going Toronto! I used to live there, makes me proud.
Hey Craig, Don't be nit-picky... Life is too short.
It is an awesome Idea! I wish where I lived they would allow us to hang our clothes outside... something about appearance. too bad.
Thansk
clothesline = pollen, bird crap, hard scratchy clothes, occasional ticks,
e-dryer = soft clothes, clean, no allergies
given that I don't like living on antihistamines and scraping off white crusty bits, I choose a dryer
What is an e-dryer?
I have a son with asthma and allergies to major trees and grasses. This is why I don't dry our clothes outside. I really wish I could.