Energy Efficient Dishwashers

When you have a kitchen full of dishes, Energy Efficient Dishwashers really come in handy. Doing a few dishes by hand is fine, but why not let the dishwasher do the work when you have a whole dishwasher full. It saves time and gets you back to your family and friends.

More Energy Efficient Than Hand Washing

As odd as it may sound, it is better to use the dishwasher than to hand wash dishes, as long as you run a full load. Why? Because the dishwasher usually uses less hot water than handwashing dishes.

Most of the energy a dishwasher uses is for heating the water so less hot water means the washer uses less energy.

You can use even less energy when washing dishes if you use the energy saving drying cycle which does not use heat. The dishes will still dry just as well.

Many dishwashers clean dishes well enough that rinsing is not necessary. In any case, scrapping excess food off dishes and cook ware uses less water than rinsing and will save some energy.

Choosing an Energy Efficient Dishwasher

Look for the Energy Star label.
Products bearing this label meet strict energy efficiency guidelines and will save you energy and money. Look for the Energy Star logo on the appliance itself or on the product description. Sometimes the logo is small and hard to find so if you don't see it, just ask.

Check the Appliance's Energy Usage and Compare
Often an appliance is displayed with a guide that explains the product's energy usage. These guides are supplied for all types of products, not just Energy Star or energy efficient ones. The name and layout of such a guide varies by country.

The Energy Guide in the United States.
The EnerGuide Label in Canada.
The EU Energy Label in the European Union.

Choose Your Size and Style
Energy Efficient Dishwashers come in several sizes and styles. Your choices will be limited to the size and layout of your kitchen. Many kitchens have built-in dishwashers. If yours does not, don’t worry. You don’t have to remodel the kitchen just to have a dishwasher. You can get a portable one.

Both built-in and portable dishwashers come in full size (~60 centimeters or ~24 inches wide) and a smaller size (~45 centimeters or ~18 inches wide). The smaller size works great for 1 to 2 people who don’t have enough dirty dishes to fill a full size washer.

It may be more difficult to find the smaller sizes in Energy Star but if a larger one is just too big and you will never be able to fill it, the smaller one may still be the better choice.

Save Time, Energy and Money

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