Worried about Muskrat Falls raising energy rates? It's Muskrat Balls to the rescue!
These 100% wool dryer balls reduce drying time and save money, says local retailer
You've certainly heard of Muskrat Falls, the province's beleaguered hydroelectric project. But do you know about Muskrat Balls?
The name is cheeky, but the potential energy savings are serious, says Peg Norman.
The dryer balls are sold in sets of three and are made in Vancouver out of 100 per cent wool sourced from an Alberta farm, said Norman, who owns the St. John's store Bee's Knees.
They're easy to use: you just pop them in your dryer when you put in a load. The balls speed up drying time by both absorbing moisture in the dryer and helping the clothing tumble more efficiently, she told The St. John's Morning Show.
"Everybody knows what it's like to put in a load of sheets and end up with a great big gnarl of sheets when you pull it out at the end of the time."
Using these dryer balls, which are about as a big as a "wicked-size snowball," can help prevent that, saving you both energy consumption and money, Norman said.
Potential savings
If the balls do reduce your drying time, then they could make a real dent in your household energy use.
Clotheslines are still commonly used across the province, but the weather doesn't always co-operate. The average dryer uses 921 kilowatt-hours per year, according to a 2011 report from Natural Resources Canada. And according to 2011 data from Statistics Canada, household energy use in Newfoundland and Labrador is higher than the Canadian average.
Norman said the dryer balls can reduce drying time by 20-50 per cent — they're more effective with natural fabrics like cotton, less so with synthetics. Toronto Hydro supports that assertion, advising that the use of dryer balls can shave 30-50 per cent off your drying time.
Those potential savings came to mind as Norman was explaining the product to customers, before she came up with the "saucy" Muskrat-specific name.
"In describing the product to potential customers I would say, 'Well, you know, by the time Muskrat Falls comes online you're going to be happy to see your dryer running at up to 50 per cent less time, because that's the savings you see with these," she said.
No fabric softener either
In the two years she's stocked the dryer balls, they've proven to be a popular product, Norman said. Her own household set is a bit smaller — something that happens naturally with use, she said — but still going strong.
In addition to shaving off drying time, the balls reduce static cling and wrinkling, she said. And if you like your dried clothing to have a bit of scent, you can put a few drops of essential oils on the balls.
That means you can save a bit more money by tossing out your fabric softener. As it turns out, that may be increasing your drying time too.
"Fabric softener actually increases your drying time because it coats the fibres of your clothing," she said, "and so the water doesn't shed from the fibre as efficiently as it does without any fabric softener."