There are many household chores that require energy; washing dishes is one of them.
Today, as many as 60% of households have a dishwasher to help with this household task. But isn’t it more energy efficient to wash dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher?
The hand vs. the machine
Washing dishes by hand may seem like the most energy-efficient option at first, since you don’t need electricity. But there are other factors to consider. Like water consumption, for example. Washing dishes by hand uses a lot more water than a dishwasher. This means that when you wash dishes by hand, you use more energy to heat that water. It also takes more time and physical effort to wash dishes by hand, which also costs energy.
In addition, modern dishwashers are designed to be as energy efficient as possible. The more modern, the less water and energy they use. In addition, many dishwashers also have energy-saving options, such as an eco program or a half-load setting, which further reduces energy consumption.
Water consumption
Do you have a dishwasher? Then it uses about 12 liters per wash. Note that if you have an older appliance, the number of liters per wash can increase to 17 liters.
For a manual wash cycle of the same amount of dishes you would need 45 litres of water. Considerably more water than a dishwasher.
Energy consumption
There are also a number of factors that play a role in energy consumption. Many dishwashers wash dishes at 70 to 95 degrees, while 40 degrees is actually sufficient to get the dishes clean (unless there are caked-on residues). Using hot water costs a lot of energy.
Using less hot water , such as when washing dishes by hand, is therefore a more sustainable choice. However, you should not lose sight of the fact that you also have to heat the water for washing dishes by hand. Even if you pre-rinse the dishes with hot water, or wash them under the running tap instead of in the filled sink , a dishwasher may be a better choice. In addition, most modern dishwashers have an eco-function , which allows you to reduce energy and water consumption.
The dishwasher wins
With all this in mind, we could say that the dishwasher is a more sustainable way to wash your dishes than washing them by hand.
However, we would also like to emphasise that a lot depends on various factors: whether it is an energy-efficient and recent appliance or not, how often the dishwasher is on, whether the dishwasher is fully loaded or half full, whether the dishwasher is connected to the general boiler or has its own electric boiler, what programme the dishwasher is set to, etc.
In practice, you have a lot of control over the water and electricity consumption of your dishwasher.
Tips to save energy
- Wash (occasionally) by hand. It sounds very lame; if you don't use the dishwasher, it doesn't use any energy. But it is something to keep in mind. Especially if the dishwasher is not full or if you only have a few small items, it can make a difference to wash them by hand.
- Do not rinse dishes before putting them in the machine. It is sufficient to wipe off large food residues; use all-in-one dishwasher tablets
- Use the eco program. If you don't have this, choose a lower temperature.
- Do not start the dishwasher until it is completely full.
- Clean your filter regularly.
