Energy Efficient dishwashers

Most of the energy used by a dishwasher goes towards heating the water.  Consequently modern energy efficient dishwashers use less water to clean dishes and therefore less energy. Since water is also a precious resource in many parts of the country using an energy efficient dishwasher helps the environment in two ways.  The EPA estimates that replacing a dishwasher manufactured before 1994 with an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher can save you more than $30 a year in utility costs. Considering that these appliances can last for many years this amounts to a significant savings over the lifetime of the appliance. A dishwasher that meets the ENERGY STAR standard will use at least 41 percent less energy than the federal minimum standard for energy consumption.

You should also keep in mind that how you use your dishwasher can also make a big difference when it comes to energy savings.  Avoid running loads with just a few dishes.  Wait until it is full before you run a load.  Less loads means more energy saved.  Also, if you are not in a hurry, another way you can cut your energy costs is to set your drying cycle to air dry rather than heat dry. 

In the table below are the latest Energy Factor ratings for the leading brands of residential washing machines.  The last column indicates how much better the Energy Factor is for that machine compared to the Federal Standard of .046:

Energy Star Dishwasher Ratings