Energy Saving Tips for Washing Your Dishes

Why operating that dishwasher may be more efficient than you think.

WACO, Texas (June 29, 2014) – The summer weather means it is time to hit the beach. Although the ocean seems endless, many parts of the United States experience drought during the dry summer months. Mr. Appliance® has reasons why you should consider using your dishwasher to conserve water, while keeping energy costs low.

Every day countless Americans turn the hot water on in the kitchen sink and let it run as they wash their dishes by hand. There is thoughtful consideration, washing dishes by hand doesn’t use as much energy or water as running the dishwasher.

But upon further review, that may not be the case. The average faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute, while the average dishwasher will use about six gallons of water for an entire cycle. A dishwasher with an ENERGY STAR label can use as little as two gallons of water to wash an entire load of dishes.

In that case, a dishwasher will use less water to wash an entire load of dishes than washing by hand.

Additionally, the energy used to heat the water for washing dishes should be taken into account when determining whether to wash dishes by hand or use a dishwasher. The more hot water used, the more energy used to heat the water. An energy efficient dishwasher using as little as two gallons of water will save as much as $40 a year on utility bills over an older dishwasher.

Other measures can be taken to conserve energy while operating a dishwasher. Scraping food off of dishes before you place them in the dishwasher rather than pre-rinsing, only running your dishwasher with a full load, and only operating the dishwasher (as well as other appliances) during off peak electricity usage hours can make a big difference in energy costs.

So, let the dishwasher do the work for you, saving you time and money while conserving water and consuming less energy.

Contact your local Mr. Appliance to make sure your dishwasher is operating at its most efficient level, and visit http://www.mrappliance.com for more energy saving tips.