PrintDishwashers: Your “Power” in the Environmental Protection
Buying the correct size appliance for your needs is critical to saving money, energy, and water. In dishwashers, there are compact and standard-capacity units. Compact models use less energy and water per load, but you may actually consume more energy operating them more frequently. The following tips help you to save even more:
- Avoid rinsing dishes before you load them in the dishwasher or, if you must rinse, use cold water.
- Run your dishwasher with a full load. Most of the energy used by a dishwasher goes to heat water. Since you can't decrease the amount of water used per cycle, fill your dishwasher to get the most from the energy used to run it.
- Avoid using the heat-dry, rinse-hold, and pre-rinse features. Instead, use your dishwasher's air-dry option. If your dishwasher does not have an air-dry option, prop the door open after the final rinse to dry the dishes.