Province To Outlaw Clothesline Bans
Posted April 18, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
As summer approaches and with it those peak demand days for electricity, the Ontario government announced Friday that clotheslines can no longer be banned in most places.
That news is heaven “scent” for homeowner Christine Suntz. “I find (hanging clothes outside) gives them a fresher scent. I like the smell of it, and the fact that it saves money and helps the environment, too.”
It wasn’t too long ago that she was barred from hanging her clothes out to dry. “It’s in writing right there,” Suntz claims, pointing to a clause in her home ownership contract.
“We should be able to do what we want in our backyard, especially if it’s helping save energy,” argues home owner Trish Gibson.
Developers can outlaw the lines in their current agreements with homebuyers – but not for long.
Premier Dalton McGuinty’s move will forbid any new bans on the air drying devices and overturn existing ones. “Let mother nature, let the wind and the sun dry your clothing,” he urged.
The new rule will only apply to detached, semi-detached and row houses. High rise condominiums and apartments won’t be affected by Friday’s changes, but it’s nothing to do with builders: in these kinds of homes, it’s all about safety.
Phyllis Morris, the mayor of Aurora, has long campaigned for a ban on the bylaw. She couldn’t be happier with the province’s decision.
“Of course we’re delighted. People don’t have to hang laundry out. We’re not telling them they should. We’d just like people who would like to, to have the right to,” she exclaimed.
Ontario is moving to lift the bans on clotheslines in a bid to save the air and energy as dryers account for about six percent of Ontario’s household electricity demand, according to a published report.
And the push has come from you, the consumer. While appearing on CityOnline, a past president of the Ontario Home Builder’s Association credited residents with the move to go green.
“We react to a marketplace,” Victor Fiume pointed out. “We are seeing a huge transformation in society towards a conserving society and that is having a huge ripple effect on the housing industry.”
It wasn’t always that way, he admits. “For years, our customers have been telling us in certain areas that they’re not crazy about having clotheslines in their backyard.”
The new message seems to be, if you don’t want a clothesline, don’t get one – the epitome of Not In My Backyard thinking.
Environmentalists support the new measure wholeheartedly.
“We’ve been pushing to have this law come through to make it easy and to give people the right to dry,” exclaims Chris Winter, executive director of the Conservation Council of Ontario. The current law isn’t “fair to people who want to conserve and do the right thing.”
Clotheslines create huge energy savings, and the financial benefits aren’t bad either.
Toronto Hydro estimates that if you line-dry just one quarter of your clothes, you’ll save $30 a year. That amount skyrockets to $120 if all your dryer-bound items make it outside.
After the fridge and the washing machine, the dryer uses the most energy in the house.
To cut down on consumption, here are some tips
- Dry similar types of clothes together – towels with towels, and not with lighter items like t-shirts
- Don’t add wet clothes to dry
- Clean the dryer filter after each load
Why you should use a clothesline
Where to Get A Free Clothesline (Toronto residents only)
From Our Archives: Clothesline Ban Rankles Homeowners North Of The City
