If you’re looking to cut back on your energy bills in January, there’s one small change to your dishwasher that could help. It only takes a few seconds but could make a big difference.
Consumer group Which tested the core cycles that most dishwasher units have – main (the automatic/default), eco and quick wash. The experts found one delivered a superior clean, but there was one setting that could help you save money.
Testing three big-brand models exposed the limitations of the three settings. It also showed how one one simple switch could keep more money in your pocket.
Which? looked at the best programme to stick with in order to save money long-term. According to their snapshot test, using the main cycle exclusively for five washes per week would cost £62.82 a year on average.
By contrast, using a quick wash would cost a bit more – £68.07 on average. This is where switching to eco really starts to pay off, as you pay just £46.13 in annual costs, making it the cheapest.
Each setting takes a starkly different amount of time to get the job done, with some rapid programmes taking just 15 minutes whilst eco mode took the longest, on average, with cycles lasting close to four hours.
Researcher Andrew Laughlin explained that, whilst eco-mode washing might take longer, it can be worth the extra time when it comes to your finances. He said: “Just as the quick wash has to produce enough water for the wash and reach the required temperatures in a short amount of time, eco mode does the opposite. It has a longer duration, so the machine can reach the required temperatures slowly and gradually.
“While you might think that a longer duration would mean more water being used, our snapshot test actually showed the opposite. Eco mode used 8.88 litres of water during a wash cycle, whereas the main program used 10.79 litres and the quick wash used the most, at 10.46 litres.”
The expert found that, whilst the eco-friendly “doesn’t clean and dry quite as well as the main cycle” it more than makes up for that in other departments. If you don’t mind the longer running time, switching to eco makes it well worth considering – both for the environment and your wallet.
Figures from Statista show that, as of 2018, close to half of the British population own a dishwasher (49%) – with this number likely having risen since then. There are other ways to make using your dishwasher more cost-effective. For example, you can:
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