Clothesline Program Helps Customers Save Energy

In the early 1900’s, using a clothesline to dry clothes was common practice. Fast forward to present day, and the majority of homeowners now use an electric clothes dryer, consuming a significant amount of energy per load.

To help customers save energy and money, the Greenbrain team worked with Canadian Niagara Power to develop a marketing campaign for the new Instant Savings Clothesline promotion. The goal was to distribute free indoor/outdoor retractable clotheslines to eligible residential customers, and essentially decrease energy consumption all year long.

One of the primary benefits of using a clothesline is that it requires zero energy, helping the average household save approximately $15 – $20 / month. Not only does the sun provide us with free energy, but it also acts as a natural deodorizer, antibacterial and bleach for clothes and sheets. An added benefit is that it is also much gentler on our clothes, which saves us from having to replace them more often.

In Spring 2017, Greenbrain partnered with Westario Power to provide complete program delivery and outreach through local community and retail events for their Clothesline Campaign. This included the development of a custom software that allows LDC and event staff to instantly check a resident's eligibility, complete participant agreements and mark a customer as having received their clothesline.

The clothesline giveaway program was huge success, with approximately 1,000 clotheslines given away in just over a month, helping homeowners save roughly 200,000 kilowatt hours annually – which is the equivalent of planting 3857 trees.

The program will continue until 2020 with approximately 1250 clotheslines distributed annually, on a first-come first-serve basis. For more information, visit www.westario.com/clotheslines.

Source for the savings reference to planting trees: United States EPA. https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator