Some Missoula residents, however, have found a way to battle bulging energy costs by abandoning their modern gizmos and going back to basics.
It may take a little more time and manpower, they say, but maybe in addition to trimming your bill, you'll trim a little off your summer brats-and-beer-enhanced waistline.
According to Northwestern Energy's Web site, clothes dryers comprise 4 percent of a house's total energy use. While that may not sound like much, the bucks you can save by line drying your laundry instead of running the dryer three hours a week add up.
Jane Kapler Smith prefers using a clothesline to a dryer. Smith, who grew up in the Midwest, didn't have use of dryer until she was in her teens. Though her current home came with a dryer, she insisted on installing a clothesline made of steel posts and non-stretchy coated wire in the backyard.
“I've never not used a clothesline,” Smith said. “I just have never wanted to spend money on a dryer and the energy it takes to use it.”
When the snow flies or other weather prevents her from using the outside clothesline, Smith dries her laundry on racks and lines strung up in the basement. She said she only uses her dryer to dry towels and her husband's shirts during the winter.
“It's a bit more work to put the clothes out on the line, but not much more,” Smith said. “And line drying helps clothes not wear out. Elastic, spandex, wool, they don't shrink or wear out as fast.”
Emi Kodama, who just purchased her home this spring, doesn't own a washer or dryer. She does her washing at a laundromat, but brings it home to dry on racks. She said the $4 or so she saves each time by not drying does add up, plus she's using energy that the sun provides for free.
“I try to be pretty mindful of conserving resources in general,” Kodama said.
Get up and push
Forget the riding lawn tractors that require $3.95 a gallon for gas and can barely maneuver around your lawn; buy a hand reel lawn mower. It may seem like a step back in time, but reel mowers are coming back in style and, starting at $99 at Ace Hardware or free to rent from the Missoula Urban Development Project's Tool Library, you can afford to add a little more style back into your wardrobe.
Kodama rents a push mower from the Tool Library, part of the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project, a nonprofit organization located at 629 Phillips St. that promotes sustainable living through community interdependence and self-reliance.
“We try to save resources by sharing and building capital with our members,” MUD's Kara Lawrence said.
The Tool Library has hundreds of automotive, carpentry, garden and mechanical tools available for Missoula residents to borrow.
It takes Kodama about 10 minutes to mow her small yard with a hand reel mower. She leaves the clippings on the yard to act as a mulch and help the grass conserve moisture. She said she tries to maintain 3-inch-high grass because that height seems to best retain moisture and protect against weeds.
Less is more (money)
Just because you own the latest swanky appliance or gadget doesn't mean you have to use it ... or at least use it as frequently. NorthWestern Energy's usage chart shows household appliances - not including refrigerators, freezers, dryers, and heating and cooling units - come in at 11 percent of the average home's energy use.
Rachel Loehman combines reduced appliance use with compact fluorescent light bulbs and better home insulation to achieve energy savings. For her, the newer, more efficient appliances have facilitated this goal.
Her front-loading washer uses less water than traditional washers and has a faster spin cycle that leaves clothes dryer. She also has an energy-efficient dishwasher that uses less water than hand-washing. She doesn't use it on its extra hot setting to further conserve energy.
“The barrier for a lot of people in being energy-smart is that it seems like they have to make huge changes,” Loehman said. “Just like stock portfolios, you have to diversify. These small changes add up significantly.”
MUD's Lawrence said that she tries to use as few appliances as possible to reduce her energy usage. She shuns the modern technology of coffee makers and blow dryers in favor of a French press and a nice breeze to get ready in the morning.
According to Claudia Rapkoch of NorthWestern Energy, some of the newer, sleeker models of traditional gadgets can really eat energy, particularly large flat-screen televisions.
“Flat-screens use a ton of energy, much more than the analog sets we've all grown up with,” she said.
Rapkoch said a standard television set is a relatively small energy user. A typical TV that is 20 watts and is turned on four hours a day costs a home about $20 per year.
However, the larger sets use several times as many watts and falling prices are encouraging people to buy more of them. Additionally, TVs are being left on for longer amounts of time as people play games and watch movies.
“That's one of the things we've noticed when people call in because their energy bills have increased,” Rapkoch said. “We ask them, ‘Have you made any changes around the house?' And it's usually that they've put in a new flat screen.”
Cell phone chargers, video games and computers are also examples of gadgets that Rapkoch said can suck energy, even while they are turned off.
“Sometimes all those little things really add up,” she said.
NorthWestern's Web site now features a home energy calculator that can be used to assess how much energy each appliance in your home uses, or how much a potential purchase would require.
“We started the energy calculator this year - it's a big tool for customers,” Rapkoch said. “You can create what-if scenarios and calculate how changes you may make will affect your energy bill. It gives you an idea before you install some of those new technological devices.”
And if you absolutely have to watch the game on 65 inches of Hi-Def, just remember to turn it off when you're finished.
Energy savers
For more energy saving tips, visit the Montana state Web site's Department of Environmental Quality page at www.deq.state.mt.us/Energy/warmhomes.tips.asp or NorthWestern Energy at www.northwesternenergy.com.
Lauren Russell is a newsroom intern at the Missoulian. She is a journalism student at the University of Montana.
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