Electricty = $$$, but how much?

When I was a kid, I didn't understand that every time I left a light on, left the TV on, or left my stereo on it was costing my parents money. I do know now that electricity costs money, because I pay the bill! But just how much does one lightbulb cost to run? How about the microwave, or a space heater? Electric blanket? I found this really cool calculator that tells you how much different electric gadgets cost you to run.

One fact that is interesting to me is that drying one load of clothes in an electric dryer costs about $0.30! That adds up really quickly when you are doing a lot of laundry. We do probably 3 loads a week, so we spend about $4.00 a month  just to dry our clothes. I thought about this today because the weather here in Lawrence is AMAZING, and the perfect opportunity to use my clothesline instead of the dryer!  If you don't have a clothesline, try this article about air-drying your clothes indoors. 

Try out this tool for yourself, you will be surprised: Electrical Energy Cost Calculator.

UPDATE: For information on the energy rates from Westar for N.E. KS: Click here for rates.

photo from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1340118