There is a simple way to save money and cut the carbon cost of your clothes washing: dry them outside.
Freelance Journalist Catherine Cleary has said a washing line uses a combination of both solar and wind power.
She told Moncrieff she has washing hanging out most days, including today.
"It's already got rained on and it's got dry again, so that does happen on this side of the coast, anyway," she said.
"I think there are places on the west side of the coast where it never gets dry enough to dry washing on an outdoor line.
"The wind is a big benefit.
"There is this cartoon... where you've got two women looking at a washing line - of course it's two women - saying, 'Yes it's solar and wind powered.'
"That's what we are using to dry our washing."
'A good way to dry clothes'
Ms Cleary said the tumble drier is "up there" with the big energy using appliances, along with fridges and ovens.
"It depends on how often you're using it and how wet the washing is that you're putting into it, and all of those things," she said.
"If you're washing a load of denim and towels and drying them in the tumble drier that's probably pretty expensive."
Ms Cleary said for people who live in apartments, or those who don't have outdoor space, the options can be more limited.
"You do see people using their apartment balconies for laundry, because you're up very high so your wind capture is great - but sometimes your management company says, 'I don't want to see your washing hanging up there'" she said.
"It's a good way to dry clothes, and there are indoor options as well."
An old-fashioned Sheila Maid (clothes airer) in a terraced house. Picture by: Paul Adams / Alamy Stock PhotoMs Cleary said clothes lines can be put over warm appliances for indoor drying.
"The pulley line we called it in our house... they're called the Sheila Maid now," she said.
"It's basically like a wooden rack that you winch up to the warm spot in your house, which in days of yore was over the range.
"It is the warmest part of the house, even over radiators and things like that.
"It makes sense: rising energy costs and a summer of relentless rain."
Ms Cleary said putting washing directly on to a radiator can have its own problems.
"You can do that, but then you get mould problems and... hopefully we're going to be living in houses that are much better insulated... you do have to be aware that if you're putting a lot of wet washing on a radiator, you're going to create some wet air in your house," she said.
"If that's not being vented in some way you may have mould problems - and you're also inhibiting your radiator's job, which is to heat your space," she added.
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