Compare the water and energy cost of a dishwasher to handwashing.
A modern dishwasher can outperform handwashing on both water and energy. Comparing the combined cost per load times weekly volume shows the annual difference. Running a full dishwasher instead of handwashing can save hundreds of gallons a month, and the energy comparison settles which is truly cheaper.
Dishwasher vs Handwash
Cost/load = water/1000 x price + kWh x rate
Cost/load = water/1000 x price + kWh x rate A modern dishwasher can outperform handwashing on both water and energy. Comparing the combined cost per load times weekly volume shows the annual difference.
Running a full dishwasher instead of handwashing can save hundreds of gallons a month, and the energy comparison settles which is truly cheaper.
This calculator takes 6 inputs: Dishwasher water/load, Dishwasher energy/load, Handwash water/load, Electricity rate, Water price per 1000 gal, Loads per week. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.