Outdoor clotheslines are currently banned under some municipal bylaws and contracts with home builders. But Ontario is looking at allowing clotheslines for anyone who lives in a freehold detached, semi-detached or row house.
Clothes dryers use about 900 kilowatt hours of electricity a year on average, or about six per cent of residential electricity consumption. By hanging one-quarter of their laundry loads out to dry, Energy Minister Gerry Phillips said consumers could save about $30 a year on their electricity bills while helping to reduce greenhouse gases.