When looking to cut household costs you’d be forgiven for thinking that turning on your dishwasher could be costing you more than you think it is.
Turning off lights, turning down your thermostat and economising on the weekly shop might rank higher in your list of cost- cutting priorities than making sure the dishes are clean.
But experts in energy efficiency have found that changing two simple habits could save you £63 when using the common household appliance.
In fact, the research by Utilita Energy has found that these two bad habits are costing dishwasher owners a staggering £171m a year and generating carbon emissions that can be easily avoided,
As part of Utilita Energy’s Power Price List series, revealing the average running costs of 68 commonly used home appliances, it has revealed two simple tweaks that will not only save you cash, it can help the planet too.
The costliest of the two bad habits is turning the dishwasher on when it’s only half full. This is something 21 percent of dishwasher owners are guilty of and this habit costs 75p a week, or £38.84 a year. That amounts to £116m across all households.
Secondly, 73% of households admit to not using ‘eco mode’. when running their machine. And by not using economy mode, households are missing out on 47p a week or £24.30 a year – £55m across all households.
Households that do both – half fill and choose power-intensive settings – are throwing away £63.14 a year.
And both habits are costing the planet too as the water wasted is equivalent to 94 million baths – that’s 34 per household. The wasted energy from these two habits also generates as much carbon emissions as a diesel car driving around the equator 20,000 times each year.
Ella Jones, sustainability manager at Utilita Energy said : “We are all creatures of habit when it comes to our home behaviours, but by revealing the cost and environmental savings, we hope to help people make better informed decisions.
“Our latest dishwasher study has revealed that 75% of people who use a dishwasher haven’t read the manufacturer instructions, which explain the energy and water savings associated with eco mode. Watching a video on how best to stack the dishwasher you own can also be eye-opening, enabling you to get more in, or better results, each time.”
And she said reducing energy use at home doesn’t just impact our wallet, it will help the planet too. She added: “Around half of the electricity we all use at home – which comes from the National Grid – is still being generated by dirty, polluting fossil fuels today. By reducing energy waste at home, we put less pressure on the National Grid and with that we can avoid fossil fuels and consume cleaner energy generated by low carbon technologies such as wind, solar and hydro.”
Ways to cut dishwasher costs
Read the instructions
Every dishwasher’s stacking system is specially designed to wash as many items effectively on every wash. If you, or those who stack the dishwasher, don’t know how to load it properly, you’ll never get 100% efficiency on every wash. Most manufacturers have videos online.
Use ECO mode
This mode is specifically designed to deliver the best results but uses less hot water. Although it may take longer, it will always be the cheapest option.
Always wait until it’s full
If you find yourself putting a half-full dishwasher on to get rid of the smell, get a freshener which will mask any food smells until it’s ready. If it’s going to be more than a day, rinse of any food residue, which will help.
Consider what time you put it on
If you are on a higher day rate and a lower night rate for your electricity, put it on a timer or use the dishwasher’s ‘delay’ option to come on at night to save money
Avoid buying or using kitchenware and crockery that is incompatible with your dishwasher
For example, a dinner plate that is too large will stop the spray arm from spinning, so you’ll be forever rewashing items.
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