Ontario Undies To Flap in Breeze Again

I did live in Ontario for a while, but I was completely unaware that hanging your clothes out to dry is actually illegal in a lot of places.

Not for long, according to this story at the GuelphMercury.com

The province is determined to lift the ban on clotheslines in Ontario communities in time for the summer sunshine, ending what many have called a “draconian” practice that discourages energy conservation, Energy Minister Gerry Phillips said yesterday.

Outdoor clotheslines are currently banned under some municipal bylaws and contracts with home builders. But Phillips said Ontario is looking at allowing clotheslines for anyone who lives in a freehold detached, semi-detached or row house….

It just makes sense to allow homeowners to use clotheslines, Phillips said.
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, Phillips said consumers could save about $30 a year on their electricity bills while helping to reduce greenhouse gases.

We’re lucky enough to have a clothes line and there’s nothing quite like the smell of a shirt or sheet that’s been dried outdoors, and knowing you’re saving money and energy is sweet little bonus.

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