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If you have an automatic dishwasher, it’s a waste of time and money to wash dishes by hand. Dishwashers are much more efficient, using just a fraction of the water and energy (from water heating) consumed while hand washing.
The electricity needed to run an automatic dishwasher costs about $13 per year. On average, this appliance will save around 4,510 gallons of water and 45 therms of natural gas per year, as compared with hand washing. Those resource savings translate into an average savings of $9 in water costs and $54 in natural gas costs per year.
Stop Pre-Washing
Many people rinse (or even wash) their dishes before they load them into the dishwasher. This habit can waste 20 gallons of water or more per load. And if it’s hot water, energy is also being wasted. As opposed to rinsing your dishes under a running faucet before loading them into the dishwasher, skip the rinse and just scrape any food remains into a waste bin. Most modern dishwashers are suited for soiled dishes, so you shouldn’t have to worry about them not being cleaned thoroughly. Adopting this habit will not cost you anything, and it will save you a lot more than time - around 3,200 gallons of water and 25 therms of natural gas per year. These resource savings translate into an average savings of $6.50 in water costs and $30 in natural gas costs per year.
Also, remember to wash only full loads of dishes - but don't overload the dishwasher. And don't use the "rinse hold" feature on your dishwasher when you only have a few soiled dishes. |
