The laundry room may be one of the smallest rooms in your home, but it can pack a punch on your electric bill. The average family washes nearly 400 loads of laundry each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That means families are using energy to wash at least one load of laundry every day.

Because the laundry room sees so much traffic, there’s a lot of potential for energy savings. Try these tips to see how much you can save!

• Use cold water. About 90 percent of the energy used by your washer comes from water heating. You’ll save a load if you wash with cold water instead of hot.

• Wash only full loads of laundry. It takes just as much energy to wash a small or a large load of laundry. You’ll get more bang for your buck if you wait until you have a full load to wash your clothes.

• Use the highest spin cycle on your washing machine whenever possible. It will get the most moisture out of your clothes and could cut drying time by up to 50 percent.

• Upgrade for efficiency. An ENERGY STAR washer uses 35 percent less water and 20 percent less energy than a standard model. If you’re in the market for a new washer, shop for models with the ENERGY STAR logo.

• Take a page from your grandmother. Back before dryers, people used good, old-fashioned heat from the sun to dry their duds. And it didn’t use a lick of electricity. Save some energy by stringing up a clothes line and drying your clothes naturally.

• Don’t over dry your clothes. Although skipping the dryer altogether is the most energy-saving option, it’s certainly not the most convenient or the fastest. If you’re dryer has a moisture sensor, use it. It will stop the dryer from over drying your clothes so you save energy.

• Dry loads consecutively. If you have more than one load of laundry, you’ll save energy by drying them one right after another. The residual heat will help dry your clothes faster.

• Clean your dryer’s lint screen. After every load, scrape the lint of the lint screen. A clean screen will improve your dryer’s circulation, improve efficiency and prevent fire hazards.