If you’re aiming to reduce your energy bills this year, a minor adjustment to your dishwasher could be help. Experts have said this quick tweak could make a significant difference.
Consumer group Which? tested the primary cycles that most dishwashers have – main (the automatic/default), eco and quick wash. They discovered one setting provided a superior clean, but another could help you save money.
Testing three major brand models revealed the limitations of each setting. It also demonstrated how a simple switch could keep more cash in your wallet.
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Which? investigated to find the best setting for long-term savings. According to their test, using the main cycle exclusively for five washes per week would cost an average of £62.82 annually.
In contrast, a quick wash would cost slightly more – averaging at £68.07. This is where the eco setting starts to show its worth, costing just £46.13 annually, making it the cheapest option.
Each setting takes a drastically different amount of time to complete, with some rapid programmes taking as little as 15 minutes while the eco mode took the longest, averaging close to four hours per cycle.
Researcher Andrew Laughlin explained that while the eco-mode takes longer, the extra time can pay off financially. He said: “Just as the quick wash has to produce enough water for the wash and reach the required temperatures in a short amount of time, eco mode does the opposite. It has a longer duration, so the machine can reach the required temperatures slowly and gradually.
“While you might think that a longer duration would mean more water being used, our snapshot test actually showed the opposite. Eco mode used 8.88 litres of water during a wash cycle, whereas the main program used 10.79 litres and the quick wash used the most, at 10.46 litres.”
According to the expert, the eco-friendly option may not clean and dry as well as the main cycle, but it makes up for this in other areas. If you don’t mind the longer running time, switching to eco makes it well worth considering – both for the environment and your wallet.
Figures from Statista show that, as of 2018, close to half of the British population own a dishwasher (49%) – with this number likely having risen since then. There are other ways to make using your dishwasher more cost-effective. For example, you can:
- Run a full load to reduce the number of cycles you need to run
- Maintain your dishwasher by keeping it clean and free of food scraps
- Use salt in your machine, especially if you live in a hard water area
- Choose an energy-efficient model