Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund

A common misconception is that washing dishes by hand saves hot water. In reality, washing dishes by hand several times a day can be more expensive than operating an energy-efficient dishwasher, especially if you only operate it with full loads.

• "Each time you run your dishwasher, you produce approximately two pounds of CO2. Hand-washing dishes inefficiently can use up to 15 gallons of hot water or almost 3 pounds of CO2 per dish-washing. Through greater dishwashing efficiency you can reduce your CO2 footprint in this area by 25% or more."


• One feature that makes a dishwasher more energy efficient is a booster heater. Virtually all dishwashers available today use booster heaters to further heat the water supplied by the water heater to higher temperatures required for dishwashing, so you can reduce the temperature of your water heater to 120° for additional energy savings.


• Many of today's dishwashers incorporate soil-sensors to adjust water use depending on how dirty the dishes are in each load washed. Recent studies demonstrate that most new dishwashers do a great job cleaning even the dirtiest dishes without pre-rinsing. So give yourself a break and skip the unnecessary step of pre-rinsing; you'll save money along with precious water, energy, and time.

• U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, found at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=13050 .
• David Gershon, Low Carbon Diet: A 30Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds, p. 10 (2006).
• American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, found at: https://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topdish.htm .