How much does a dishwasher cost to run?

Figures on this page are calculated from typical appliance wattages and the price per kWh you enter, not looked up from a bill. See how we calculate this.

What a dishwasher costs to run: typical 1.1 kWh/cycle, about $51 a year. Adjust the figures to your own usage and electricity price.

Wattage and running cost

The wattage is a peak while the heating element runs, not a steady draw — which is why washers and dishwashers are measured per cycle. Energy and cost at $0.18/kWh, the US average.

Like a washing machine, a dishwasher's cost is set by the programme you pick, not by how long the cycle runs, so it is measured per cycle rather than by watts and hours. Almost all of the energy goes into heating water — both the wash water and, on many machines, the hot-air drying at the end. A typical eco cycle uses around 1.0–1.3 kWh, while an intensive hot programme can use half as much again. Enter your machine's energy per cycle, how many times you run it each week and your electricity price to see the real yearly figure.

Dishwashers often get a bad reputation for energy use, but a full machine on an eco setting is usually more efficient than washing the same load by hand under a running hot tap, because it uses less hot water overall. The waste comes from running half-empty loads, using intensive programmes for lightly soiled dishes, and leaving the heated-dry option on when the dishes could air-dry just as well with the door cracked open.

The energy label is the quickest way to gauge a machine, but your own habits decide the real bill. Two identical dishwashers can cost very different amounts to run if one household always uses the intensive programme and the other lives on eco. Running the machine only when it is full, and choosing the longer low-temperature cycle for everyday loads, are the two changes that move the yearly figure most — the calculator above lets you test them against your own price per kWh.

If you came looking for a wattage, a dishwasher draws somewhere between 1,200 and 2,400 W, around 1,800 W on a typical machine — but that number is a peak, not a running cost. It applies only while the heating element is warming the water, which is a few minutes of a cycle that runs for two hours or more. The rest of the time the machine is pumping and draining on a few tens of watts. That is why the figure worth knowing is the 1.1 kWh a typical eco cycle uses from start to finish, and why an hourly figure for a dishwasher describes almost nothing: the same machine would look four times cheaper or dearer depending on which hour you measured.

What a dishwasher costs in other countries

The figures above assume $0.18/kWh, the US average. A dishwasher does not change when it crosses a border — the price of the electricity it drinks does. Here is what its 286 kWh a year cost in the 14 countries with a page here, dearest first.

Each figure is in that country's own currency at its average all-taxes-included price; the dollar column is there so they can be set against each other. Ireland to Canada is a factor of 3.8 — same appliance, same hours, 3.8 times the bill. Follow a country for its real retailer tariffs and what makes up that price, or see the full electricity price comparison by country.

How to cut dishwasher running costs

• Only run a full load — a half-empty cycle costs almost the same as a full one.
• Use the eco programme: it is longer but heats less water, which is where the money goes.
• Skip the heated-dry option and open the door at the end to let dishes air-dry.
• Scrape rather than pre-rinse under a hot tap; modern detergents handle the rest.
• Run it on an off-peak tariff overnight if you have one.

Frequently asked questions