These days, many manufacturers make dishwashers that get dishes clean while using very little electricity, water or water heating energy. Replacing a dishwasher made before 1994 with a new Energy Star–qualified model will save you $40 a year, according to the Energy Star program. That's enough to pay for your dishwashing detergent for a whole year. Also, a high-efficiency dishwasher will save an average of 1,300 gallons of water over its lifetime.
High-efficiency dishwashers have a built-in water heater to boost the temperature of the dishwashing water. This means you can turn your household water heater down to 120°F, which will reduce your overall water-heating costs.
Featured Products
To help you narrow your search for a new dishwasher, the Green Product Directory features some of the most efficient models available today. Each of these products exceeds federal energy efficiency standards for dishwashers by at least 25%—putting them at the top of the class of Energy Star-labeled dishwashers.