How Energy Efficient is a Dishwasher?

We don’t know about you, but when it comes to washing up there’s always a debate in our household: which is more energy efficient? Washing up in the sink, or using the dishwasher? Let’s settle things once and for all, shall we?

How Economical is a Dishwasher?

There are many factors that affect how economical a dishwasher is when trying to compare it to hand-washing pots and pans.

The size of your household is a big one. A family of four uses more pots, plates, and cutlery than someone living on their own, and therefore the dishwasher is likely to be used much more frequently and use more energy if it’s run once every day, compared to once every two or three days. A large family are also more likely to have a large, integrated dishwasher, whilst a smaller family may only be running a compact dishwasher.

Other factors that will affect how economical is it to run your dishwasher include the level of soiling of the items placed in to the washer, and the age and efficiency of your machine, too.

Luckily for us many of these factors are easy to identify and tweak, where needed, to make the act of washing up a more economical one. For example, understanding the efficiency of your dishwasher is as simple as looking at its energy rating.

Energy Star Ratings for Dishwashers

Home appliances such as ovens, washing machines, and dishwashers are all required, by law, to carry an EU Energy Label which indicates how efficient or, inefficient, they are. The energy rating for dishwashers takes the form of a scale which slides all the way from a costly-to-run G to the most efficient A+++.

The sliding grade scale is based on their kWh consumption (how many units of energy they use per hour). The lower their energy consumption, the more efficient the appliance is to run. According to Which? the difference in energy costs over seven years between the most and least efficient dishwashers comes in at around £259, or £37 per year. Whilst it might not sound like much, that extra £40 a year covers the cost of an MOT test, date night, or pizza party for the family…

Using a Dishwasher Vs Washing Up: Which is the Best?

So, this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Which is the best for saving money, and energy: washing up, or using the dishwasher?

It may come as a surprise, but a study carried out by Reviewed.com revealed that using the dishwasher is far more economical than hand washing. They found when washing up four standard place settings (including plates, bowls, mugs, and glasses) washing by hand used 12 gallons of water; a whopping 3.5 times as much water as their chosen Bosch dishwasher. In comparison, the dishwasher used just 2.36 gallons of water, with less efficient models using 3.4 gallons.

And that’s not even taking into account the dishwasher power consumption versus how much energy it takes to heat up the water for you to wash your dishes by hand, or the time it takes to lock and load the dishwasher versus washing and drying your hand-washed plates.

Whatever way you cut it, there’s no denying that using a dishwasher is more economical in terms of both water, energy, and time consumption. If you were Team Hand-Wash, we’re sorry, but this time Team Dishwasher takes the gold.

Thinking about purchasing a dishwasher? Appliance City dishwashers are available in a range of styles from some of your favourite brands, in colours to suit most styles and budgets. Shop online for the best deals or contact us for expert and impartial advice.