If we didn't iron our clothes, how much energy does the planet save?

I saw an executive, supposedly an expert in energy efficiency and sustainability, on television the other day. He said that he could not fall asleep because of the problem that the cryptocurrencies they are consuming a lot of energy on the planet. The impeccable type, tie, shirt and suit, no doubt neatly pressed.

I wondered to myself whether he had any idea how much energy we spend ironing our clothes. Sure, maybe my musing sounds a little over the top, but let's run the numbers.

How much energy do we use to iron clothes?

Suppose that not the whole planet irons their clothes, but 20% of the population, that is 1.6 billion people, and suppose they iron a couple of clothes a day. That is, about 3 minutes a day per person.

Suppose also that the average power of an iron is 1kW.

Let's make the calculations with these assumptions, maybe they are risky numbers, but the 20% of the population does not seem like a very far-fetched estimate to me. We are not here showing accuracy either, but at least being in the same order of magnitude as the problematic helps to get an idea.

Energy consumed per day = 1.6 billion people x 1kW x 3 minutes x 1 hour / 60 minutes.

The grand total is 80 GWh (Gigawatt hours) each day.

Now let's calculate in a year. 80 GWh x 365 = 29,200 GWh

This figure is monstrous. So monstrous that It is a figure comparable to all the energy that a country the size of Ecuador needs, which consumes approximately 26,000 GWh per year.

Can you imagine? And there was the guy, showing off his crisp pressing as if it were nothing. Well, it's not as if I can play the saint either. We all wear ironed clothes now and then, some more, some less. But it's food for thought, isn't it?

To keep thinking I leave you a table with the most common electrical appliances, maybe you can make a similar calculation to the previous one and restrict certain habits.

Average power of common electrical appliances

Artifact	Average Power (in Watts)
Computer	300
Microwave	800
32 inch LED TV	45
42 inch LED TV	70
Hair dryer	1000
Iron	1000
Air conditioner 18000 BTU (not inverter)	1000
Electric oven	1500-2500
Blender	300
Medium refrigerator	300
Electric shower	1500-2000
Clothes washer (without water heating)	600
Vacuum cleaner	700
Coffee maker	800
3/4 HP water pump	560
Fan	180
Toaster	700

The dilemma of “losing comfort”

As you will have realized, the amount of energy used to iron clothes is truly surprising. So is the consumption of other appliances, including electric ovens or electric showers. In reality, all of these appliances are used to give us comfort, and whether or not we stop using them comes down to how willing we are to put up with a little discomfort. What would happen if we stopped ironing our clothes? We might think our clothes would look wrinkled and unkempt. Is that really so serious? Are there alternatives?

One alternative could be to wear clothes that need little ironing, or to use steam dryers. Many of these machines have an option to “refresh” clothes with steam, which helps remove wrinkles and leave them ready to wear. Another option could be to hang clothes on hangers after washing and let them air-dry. If clothes dry properly, the need to iron them is often reduced.

At the end of the day, it's up to us. How important or not it is to leave a carbon footprint on our planet depends on how much discomfort we're willing to accept.