One of the great things about this energy saving tip is that it’s actually LESS work than the more expensive alternative!

What to do:

1. Do not pre-rinse dishes before washing in the dishwasher. Tests show that an average household uses about 6,500 gallons of water (much of that hot water) to prerinse dishes. The cost of heating that water is more than $40.
2. Skip the drying cycle.  The drying cycle uses 6 times as much energy as the wash cycle. 
3. If your dishwasher is more than 6 years old and needs repairs consider replacing it with an Energy Star dishwasher. The repair costs for dishwashers can be nearly as high as the cost of a new dishwasher and the annual savings in energy use will make up the difference.

Savings:

1. Eliminating pre-rinsing can save about $40/year.
2. Not using the drying cycle on the dishwasher will save up to $60 dollars/year, if you use the dishwasher once a day
3. An Energy Star dishwasher will use $55/year less of electricity than an older dishwasher.
   

Learn more on our Appliances page.