South Okanagan

Photo: Contributed

Richard Dubeki and Hannah Hafso, energy efficiency ambassadors for FortisBC PowerSense, deliver laundry lines to all of the residents of the Riverside RV Resort in Keremeos.

FortisBC is declaring the recent actions of a Keremeos RV park as a revolution against one of the hungriest appliances in the average Canadian household.

The dryer, second only to the refrigerator.

FortisBC has launched a campaign to bring back the clothesline—something that was a common sight in the backyards of homes prior to the electronic age—as a way to help customers save some money as well as help the environment.

“The effort to raise awareness of the need to conserve energy, through the distribution of clotheslines, continues to gain traction,” says Nicole Bogdanovic, spokesperson for FortisBC.

Bogdanovic cites a recent “laundry revolution” carried out by 80 Keremeos residents as an example.

A strata council in Keremeos recently overturned a ban on clotheslines.

“The FortisBC PowerSense clothesline campaign helped raise awareness about clotheslines, and our residents decided that it made more sense to be environmentally friendly than to ban them,” explains Vickie Hansen, administrator for Riverside RV Park. “We are now encouraging residents to take advantage of our sunny and windy area and hang their laundry outside to dry.”

Hansen says she hopes other strata-type properties will be inspired and follow their example.

In addition to saving money and the environment, using a clothesline reduces fabric shrinkage, wear, and laundry smells fresh when dried in the sun. During the winter, an indoor drying rack can be used.

“We’re encouraged to see that this campaign has helped people to think differently about the way they use energy every day throughout their home, particularly for doing laundry,” said Tom Loski, FortisBC vice president of customer service.

“After the refrigerator, dryers typically use more energy than any other appliance in the home, so using a clothesline is an ideal way to reduce your energy bill and save.”

This summer, PowerSense ambassadors delivered 9,200 free laundry lines to customers at more than 120 events across the Okanagan, Kootenay, and Boundary regions.

To get your own clothesline or for more information on power conservation, visit PowerSense or call 1-866-436-7847.