By Gene Ayres

OK, we've talked about saving water and electricity and gas. And it strikes me that there should be an appealing aspect to all this, even for confirmed couch potatoes. After all, isn't saving energy what life is all about (to some of us anyway)?

Pundits have already noted that few consumers have yet complained that other commodities such as milk, cheese, vegetables and fruit have risen in price much further and faster than gasoline. In fact, for those of you still hooked on bottled water (bottled tap water, to put it bluntly) you are paying considerably more for your water than you are for your gas. So much for those pseudo-scientists that claim to have invented an engine that burns water!

Meanwhile, back on the home front, here are a few more ways to cut costs considerably, while awaiting that winning lottery number or jackpot.

Item one: laundry. I've already mentioned that the energy costs for hot water (not to mention the rising costs of the water itself) can consume a huge portion of your monthly utility bill. Up to 40%, according to some studies. So it should be a given to want to find ways to use less hot water, and by far the largest amount of hot water goes into doing laundry (followed by showers, already discussed, and washing dishes, which we'll get to in a moment).

For those of us who are longtime bachelors, throwing a pair of socks and last week's boxers into the machine for a run-through may be a no-brainer. After all, there's a “small load” setting right there on the dial. And you are a careful consumer, and only use half the normal cup of detergent, and maybe even use the “warm” setting for water temperature. But before you start feeling too righteous, think again. The electric power needed to run a small load is almost equal to a large load. In fact, if you want to be economical when doing laundry, which is the whole point here, large loads are the only way to go. According to numerous studies including Consumer Reports, large loads use proportionately much less energy than small ones. So next time, live it up. You can wear fresh boxers every day, and clean socks, T-shirts and jeans too. And that extra half-cup of detergent costs pennies. The biggest savings however, will come from using cold water only. Guess what? Cold wash detergents have been around for decades, and they work great. If you have some annoying stain no problem. There are some really simple and inexpensive ways of removing stains, such as hydrogen peroxide and club soda, both of which are great for removing wine, fruit and chocolate stains.

Let's talk about drying. My Chinese wife is still very suspicious of clothes dryers, for good reason. For one thing, they are huge energy users, and for that reason alone do not exist in China. For another thing, they tend to shrink stuff, especially cotton goods made in China, like most of hers (pre-washed clothes for American markets are also made in China but those are pre-shrunk). OK, so your condo association doesn't permit clotheslines from your balcony to the nearest tree, and I can understand that (there's actually a lawsuit about this going on as we speak in Maryland). But you can buy a really nifty folding clothes rack at Target or Fred Meyer that fits in your bathroom or balcony, and on which you can hang a lot of those heavy items like wet towels and jeans that take a lot of time and electricity to dry, as well as smaller items like underwear that dry quickly anyway. They'll dry just fine, even indoors, and your neighbors won't complain.

Now for those dirty dishes. Another recent study turning common wisdom on its head has to do with hand washing versus dishwashers. Guess what? Dishwashers are more efficient! As long as you run full loads, that is, for the same reason as with doing laundry. Hand washing dishes always ends up with continually running hot water, both for washing and rinsing, which in the end uses up a lot more water than running that carefully calibrated machine, even with the energy costs for the machinery.

Here are two tricks to reduce dishwasher costs even more. Let's face it; most of us rinse dishes before loading, which amounts in some cases to nearly a double wash. If you have a new dishwasher that's a total waste. It will do the rinsing and scrubbing very nicely all by itself, save energy and water too. If you have an older one, like me, rinse in cold water, then use the “short wash” setting. You can even use less soap without any problem. No need to fill those little cups full (and dishwasher soap is expensive). Half full is plenty.

Finally, when using a dishwasher, skip the “auto-dry” option. That burns energy big time, and if you open the lid a little, the dishes will air dry just fine. So what if it takes a little longer? Plan accordingly. They (like those jeans) can dry while you're at work, or watching your favorite TV show. And if it's a tearjerker, and you use a hankie, no problem. You can dry that on the drying rack too. Cheers.