Using a Dishwasher Can Save You Money

After loading a dishwasher with dirty dishes, adding detergent, and closing the door, we have no idea what is going on inside there. We can hear the water swishing around and the dishes rattling, but otherwise it’s a mystery.

If you’ve ever wondered how much extra water your dishwasher uses versus washing by hand, you are in for a pleasant surprise: a dishwasher actually saves on both water and energy usage in comparison with washing dishes by hand. In some cases, the savings are quite large.

Standard Dishwashers

A standard dishwasher uses an average of 6 gallons of water per cycle. This is not too bad when you consider that washing a comparable amount of dishes by hand will often use at least twice the amount of water, as well as more electricity to heat that water. Older dishwashers manufactured before 1994 will use 10 gallons or more per cycle, so if you haven’t replaced that noisy old dishwasher yet, it may save you money in the long run to do so.

Energy Star Dishwashers

Dishwashers with the Energy Star rating use a maximum of 4 gallons of water per cycle. This can add up to quite a savings over time, especially if you live in a household that does at least 1 or 2 loads per day. Energy Star dishwashers use less electricity, as well.

Conservation Tips

Other tips to conserve money and energy include scraping instead of rinsing dirty dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, waiting until the dishwasher is full before running it, and loading dishes according to the manufacturer’s directions.