My Dishwasher Electricity Experiment

**nuisance26** · 10-17-2007, 08:57 AM

~I wanted to scientifically confirm how much it was costing us to run our dishwasher so last month I used it exclusively. Our bill went up $32. Wow! Since I run a load every day it must be about $.80-1 each time I run it on the Energy Saver, Air Dry cycle. At least now I KNOW that putting in 20 extra minutes to handwash dishes will yield an hourly rate of $3. There are so many other things that I'd rather do with that 20 minutes though!~

**ubumartin** · 10-17-2007, 09:07 AM

I usually try to run my dishwasher in the middle of the night with a delay feature. I also air dry. I hope by using the delay I am saving a little bit. I know the dishes seem to be cleaner because the dishwasher isn't competing for water during the evening with the girls showering and flushing and laundry etc.

**mom2three** · 10-17-2007, 09:12 AM

Don't get too discouraged - those are after tax dollars. Having said that, sometimes you need the "help" of the dishwasher or at least I do!

**monkeywrangler71** · 10-17-2007, 09:22 AM

I stopped using mine back in March in a similar experiment. My bill went down about $20 a month. Plus, dishwashing detergent costs a lot more than dishsoap, so I am actually saving more. I also find that the time it takes me to do the dishes isn't really much more than the time it takes to load and unload the dishwasher and wash the pots and other things that don't fit in it. Ours is also very loud and runs for hours, which made watching tv unpleasant in the evening.

Best of all, I discovered that I actually enjoy the quiet private time that I get while doing them by hand. I use it as an opportunitiy to unwind for the evening.

**baxjul** · 10-17-2007, 09:37 AM

I don't have a dishwasher, but I've always wondered how much it would cost to run one.

**LexTysMommy** · 10-17-2007, 09:51 AM

I run mine two times a week very full. I do not run prewash cycle or dry cycle. I think it is worth it for me!

**My electric/gas bill were only $63 last month so I do not think that mine uses a ton of electricity. Also the not using 2 cycles helps alot. But if I were to do dishes I would have to do at least once a day so house didnt smell..and that would use more water.**

**I use about a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. I buy a container ($2.50) a couple times a year. You do not need to fill the compartment up fully. Just a little will do the trick, as in laundry detergent.**

**boogiemum** · 10-17-2007, 09:54 AM

Hmm, interesting. Not sure if I want to wash all the dishes, but it is a good idea to have on hand if needed to scale back some more...

**Neeley** · 10-17-2007, 10:49 AM

We go through so many dishes we do at least two full loads everyday, sometimes three. I absolutely hate to hand wash dishes and have a huge love affair with my dishwasher (I love it almost as much as I love my dryer). I don't think I could give up my dishwasher.

**kabin63** · 10-18-2007, 07:51 AM

I run a load about every other day and I don't have a delay feature, or an air dry feaure. Instead I just wait and turn it off. My bills don't seem much higher using the DW and I think I am actually using less water.

**tabithapatrick** · 10-18-2007, 01:30 PM

Yes, I just moved into a new home and granted it is a bit bigger we don't use much more electricity in this house than the last. However, this house has a dishwasher (which I never had and ALWAYS wanted!) and I run it once a day. My electrical bill went up $30!!!!!! I'm going to cut back a little and wash the big stuff by hand so that I can run it less.

**frugalfriend** · 10-18-2007, 03:04 PM

Originally Posted by nuisance26

~I wanted to scientifically confirm how much it was costing us to run our dishwasher so last month I used it exclusively. Our bill went up $32. Wow! Since I run a load every day it must be about $.80-1 each time I run it on the Energy Saver, Air Dry cycle. At least now I KNOW that putting in 20 extra minutes to handwash dishes will yield an hourly rate of $3. There are so many other things that I'd rather do with that 20 minutes though!~

I love it!!

Constance you always seem to find ways to calculate things that I've wished I could figure out how to calculate!

I'm probably spending way too much running my dishwasher, because the thing runs for 96, (YES 96!!!) minutes! (It has a timer) Pretty ridiculous, huh?! I wish I had the manual that came with it so I could figure out how to be more efficient with it. I guess I will just have to experiment and try different settings and see how the dishes come out. I usually run it every other day, and wash all pots, pans, Tupperware, and big stuff, by hand.

**Jaded** · 10-18-2007, 09:22 PM

Yes, you'll save on electricity, but it takes almost twice as much water to hand wash, so if your water is really expensive (like mine), your water bill will go up.

**Jeanna** · 10-19-2007, 09:01 AM

I never have understood the water thing with dishwashers. It is hard for me to believe that filling up 2 sinks takes more water than a dishwasher. But with that said I have an inhome daycare and health problems. You can take my dryer,but not my dishwasher!

**nuisance26** · 10-19-2007, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by Jaded

Yes, you'll save on electricity, but it takes almost twice as much water to hand wash, so if your water is really expensive (like mine), your water bill will go up.

~I just wanted to comment on this because it's so generalized. When I hand wash dishes, I half-fill a sink with soapy water and half-fill a sink with rinse water. This is nearly identical usage compared to the 6 gallons my dishwasher uses(info in the manual). Plus my water is a flat rate based on the first 10,000 gallons of usage over a 3 month period. Each additional 1000 gallons is charged at $2.50. We've only had an additional charge TWICE in the 7 years we've lived here(summer of 2 in cloth diapers and a new flower garden).~

**monkeywrangler71** · 10-19-2007, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by Jaded

Yes, you'll save on electricity, but it takes almost twice as much water to hand wash, so if your water is really expensive (like mine), your water bill will go up.

People are always saying this, but I still don't think it is always the case. The amount of water that they accuse handwashers of using in all these studies is crazy, you'd have to run the tap non-stop, and the dishwashers they are using are the newer efficient models. I use about 6 - 8 litres. My dishwasher is at least 15 years old and there is no way it uses less. When I stopped using it there was a huge impact on my electric bill, my water and gas bill never moved.