Dishwasher Wattage [601 Studied | Most Efficient Revealed]

Last updated: February 5, 2024.

How much electricity does a dishwasher use? Find out here, based on 601 models. Plus, see which is the most energy efficient dishwasher in 2024, and find the electricity usage per cycle by brand.

The following article, including dishwasher wattage figures, electricity usage details and energy efficiency insights, is based on a study of 601 dishwashers.

Spoilers:

• Dishwashers use between 600 watts and 2,500 watts, but 1,400 watts is typical.
• On average, dishwashers consume 1.17 kWh of electricity per cycle, 20.98 kWh per month and 251.81 kWh per year.
• Dishwashers use a lot of electricity – 1 cycle is equivalent to how much electricity a TV uses after running for 20 hours straight.
• The #1 Best Seller in Built-In Dishwashers is the standout energy efficient dishwasher.

Continue reading to see which dishwasher brand makes the most efficient dishwashers in 2024 and get a breakdown of which dishwasher components use the most watts.

Dishwasher wattage

Dishwashers typically use 1,400 watts. 

Overall, dishwashers use between 600 watts and 2,500 watts.

Smaller, compact, energy efficient dishwashers fall within the lower end of this range. While, larger, older, less efficient dishwashers fall within the higher wattage range.

The dishwasher components that use the most amount of watts are:

• The heater, which uses approx. 84% of the total wattage.
• The motor, which uses roughly 14% of the total watts consumed.
• The drain pump, which uses approx. 2% of the total dishwasher wattage.

For example, using the typical dishwasher wattage of 1,400W, you can expect the heater to use around 1,165W, the motor to use 200W and the drain pump to use 35W.

To demonstrate the wattage breakdown, here’s a close example:

This image shows the manufacturer provided specifications for the Samsung DW80K5050 Series dishwasher.

Related: see how much water this same model uses in the related post, How Much Water Does A Dishwasher Use.

The heater wattage is listed at 1,100W and the motor wattage can reach 190W.

The wattage for the drain pump is not listed, however, the screenshot still acts as a good demonstration of how many watts different dishwasher components use.

And just to summarize…

The table below summarizes the dishwasher wattage results from the study.

So now that we know how many watts dishwashers use, let’s take a look at how much electricity they use over time, in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

How much electricity does a dishwasher use

Dishwashers use 1.17 kWh of electricity per cycle, 20.98 kWh per month and 251.81 kWh per year.

These figures are averages, based on the electricity usage of 601 dishwashers and assume 215 cycles per year. The data was sourced from ENERGY STAR where standardized testing was used.

Related post: Cost To Run A Dishwasher Revealed [6 Valuable Cost Saving Tips]. Spoiler: It costs nearly $0.19 per load to run a dishwasher, on average.

Let’s take a look at how many watts dishwashers use per cycle, month and year in more detail.

How much energy does a dishwasher use per cycle

On average, dishwashers use 1.17 kWh of electricity per cycle.

Dishwashers use between 0.526 kWh and 1.256 kWh of energy per cycle.

The most common amount of energy used per cycle is 1.256 kWh.

But how about over a longer period of time?

How much electricity does a dishwasher use per month

Dishwashers use 20.98 kWh of electricity per month, on average.

The most common amount of electricity that dishwashers use per month is 22.5 kWh.

Overall, monthly dishwasher electricity usage ranges from 9.42 kWh to 22.5 kWh.

This assumes 215 cycles per year, which is close to 18 cycles per month.

Dishwasher electricity usage per year

Dishwashers use 251.81 kWh of electricity per year, on average.

Overall, dishwasher electricity usage ranges from 113 kWh to 270 kWh per year.

The most common annual dishwasher electricity usage is 270 kWh.

Again, this assumes 215 cycles per year and is based on the electricity usage of 601 ENERGY STAR certified dishwashers.

To summarize…

Dishwasher power consumption summary – 2024

The table below summarizes the wattage and power consumption results from the study (updated to reflect 2024 data).

Again, 215 cycles p/y (nearly 18 cycles p/m) was assumed.

OK. Now we have a good sense of dishwasher wattage, and how much electricity dishwashers actually use, but is it a lot? Let’s put dishwasher electricity usage into perspective.

Do dishwashers use a lot of electricity

Yes. Dishwashers use a lot of electricity.

Dishwashers are considered energy guzzlers. 

Few household appliances consume more electricity than a dishwasher.

To add some perspective, let’s compare dishwasher electricity usage with other common household appliances.

Dishwashers use 1.17 kWh of electricity per cycle, on average. This is equivalent to:

• How many watts a TV uses after running for 20 hours.
• How much electricity a dehumidifier uses after running for 2 hrs and 45 mins.
• How much power a ceiling fan consumes (medium sized) after running for 2.7 days straight.

Energy guzzlers like clothes dryers, showers and high powered electric fireplaces are some of the few household appliances that consume more electricity than dishwashers.

For more context, let’s look at the impact dishwashers can have on the average monthly electricity consumption by US residents.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration notes that the average amount of electricity consumed per month by residential US customers is 877 kWh.

Given that, on average, dishwashers use 20.98 kWh of electricity per month, we can easily work out how much consumption dishwashers account for per month.

On average, dishwashers account for over 2% of the total amount of electricity consumed by US residents, per month.

This assumes that a dishwasher is used less than 18 times per month.

If using a dishwasher daily, they can account for over 4% of the total amount of electricity consumed by US residents, per month.

2% – 4% of monthly electricity may not seem considerable. However, when compared to other household appliances, dishwashers do use a lot of electricity.

So, with this in mind, let’s take a look at dishwasher energy efficiency.

Dishwasher energy efficiency

Energy consumption and water consumption are key energy efficiency factors for dishwashers. 

These are measured in kWh per year and gallons per cycle.

Dishwashers undergo standardized testing in order to become ENERGY STAR certified.

Standard and compact refrigerators must achieve certain kWh/year and gallons/cycle criteria while also achieving a certain cleaning capacity.

I won’t go into details about this, but if you’d like to know more visit energystar.gov.

Modern dishwashers that become ENERGY STAR certified use new energy saving technologies, such as enhanced water filtration, improved jets, soil sensors and more efficient rack designs.

Ultimately, if you’re concerned about dishwasher energy efficiency,  look for the ENERGY STAR label. If it’s on the dishwasher, then it’s considered energy efficient.

To go one step further, look for the “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label. 

Next, let’s take a look at some of the most energy efficient dishwashers.

Energy efficient dishwashers

Compact energy efficient dishwashers use between 113 kWh and 203 kWh of electricity per year.

The compact dishwashers that use the least amount of electricity (i.e. 113 kWh / year) are the Fisher & Paykel – DD24STX6CX1 (more details on energystar.gov) and Fisher & Paykel – DD24STX6I1 (visit energystar.gov for more info).

The Farberware FCD06ABBWHA Compact Dishwasher is the #1 Best Seller on Amazon for Countertop Dishwashers and Dishwashers in general.

This ENERGY STAR certified dishwasher uses just 680W and consumes .94 kWh of electricity per cycle (20% less than the average). This cost effective, popular dishwasher also received a substantial amount of positive reviews. 

Check it out, here.

Interestingly, no compact dishwasher received the “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label. Due to this and given their popularity, let’s focus on the most energy efficient standard dishwashers.

Standard size energy efficient dishwashers use from 199 kWh to 270 kWh annually.

Some of these appliances even compete with compact dishwashers in terms of wattage.

For example, the SPT – SD-9254SS uses just 700W. Get more details about this appliance, here.

72 ENERGY STAR certified standard dishwasher models have the coveted “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label.

At 199, 210 and 220 kWh / year, the Miele G 6x and 4x Series are the standard size dishwashers that use the least amount of electricity while also achieving the “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label. 

Unfortunately, it looks like these models have been discontinued as only the Miele G 5x and 7x models are available on mieleusa.com. 

However, these models are also high performing dishwashers. For example, the Miele G 7591 SCVi AutoDos gained the “ENERGY STAR Most Efficient” label. See more details, including its higher than average price, on mieleusa.com here.

But let’s look at some more cost effective models.

The table below lists 8 standout energy efficient dishwashers, which are also cost effective, from our list of 601 models. The table is arranged from low to high power consumption.

Also included in the table are links to the appliance for more details, the amount of water each model uses, along with other key information.

See how much each of these dishwashers cost to run, here.

Editor’s choice

Taking into account energy efficiency, price, style and reliability, the Edgestar – BIDW1802 is a standsout allrounder.

This is not a novel recommendation as it is the #1 Best Seller in Built-In Dishwashers on Amazon and is #7 in all Dishwashers.

There’s no other standard dishwasher that has as many positive reviews and star ratings.

This is a cost effective, energy efficient, safe bet.

Check it out, here.

However, if a countertop dishwasher is more suitable then the Farberware FCD06ABBWHA stands out.

It’s the most popular, well recieved, energy efficient dishwasher that I came across out of the 601 models that I researched.

Get more details (including the price), here.

OK, now we know which dishwashers are the most efficient. But are they actually energy efficient?

Are dishwashers energy efficient

Despite their high electricity usage, dishwashers are energy efficient.

They’re even more energy efficient than washing dishes by hand.

This is mainly because you still need to heat water to clean dishes. And as mentioned, 84% of electricity used by dishwashers goes to heating.

The drain pump and motor use considerably less energy. They’re also key to effective cleaning. 

Washing by hand is not as effective, and you still need to heat water.

People tend to use a combination of more electricity and water, compared to dishwashers due to inefficient / less effective hand cleaning.

The following infographic from ENERGY STAR gives a useful comparison of handwashing vs using a new ENERGY STAR certified dishwasher.

So dishwashers are surprisingly energy efficient despite being an energy guzzler.

This goes to show that a substantial amount of electricity is required to heat water, no matter what electrical appliance you use.

Next, let’s take a look at which manufacturers / brands make the most energy efficient dishwashers.

Most energy efficient dishwasher brands – summary data

The table below summarizes the power consumption of 601 energy efficient dishwashers. 

The data shown is the average amount of electricity that each manufacturer’s / brand’s ENERGY STAR certified dishwashers use per cycle, month and year. The data is arranged from lowest to highest power consumption.

Data for annual consumption was sourced from energystar.gov, and the remaining results were calculated.

Fisher & Paykel dishwashers use the lowest amount of electricity on average, followed closely by Gorenje.

FARFERWARE, Magic Chef, Sunbeam and Whynter all take the third lowest power consumption position.

Again, this is a summary table of 601 energy efficient dishwashers.

Each individual brand’s power consumption is combined and averaged, in order to summarize thier overall dishwasher power consumption.

Don’t miss…

Few household appliances consume more watts than dishwashers.

Over time, with regular use, dishwasher power consumption can add up to account for a substantial portion of your monthly electricity usage.

However, using a dishwasher is still more energy efficient than hand washing dishes.

I hope that the information above helps you make more informed buying and behavioral decisions when it comes to dishwashers and washing dishes in general.

Next, be sure to chek out these related posts:

• How Much Water Does A Dishwasher Use [601 Models Studied]
• Cost To Run A Dishwasher Revealed [6 Valuable Cost Saving Tips]

And don’t miss this cost-free 6 Quick Wins Cheat Sheet that’ll help you reduce your energy bills and carbon footprint:

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James F

James F (not to be confused with ECS co-founder James) is our lead author, content & website manager. He has a BSc. in Digital Marketing, and a Diploma in IT. He became a qualified electrician while studying electrical engineering part-time.

From wind and solar photovoltaic installers, James F worked with many certified energy practitioners and energy consultants before joining the core ECS team. He also helped build the most downloaded energy saving app while working with a leading utility company.

Read more about James F or connect directly on LinkedIn, here.