Cost to run a dishwasher
A typical cycle uses 1.12 kWh, which costs 29.4p at 26.32p/kWh. At 4 cycles a week, that comes to £61.26 a year.
Each cycle costs
29.4p a cycle
That is 1.12 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £5.11 a month and £61.26 a year.
On the energy label, or in the manual for the programme you use.
| Period | Cost | Energy | CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|
| A cycle | 29.4p | 1.12 kWh | 243 g |
| A week | £1.17 | 4.46 kWh | 971 g |
| A month | £5.11 | 19.4 kWh | 4.2 kg |
| A year | £61.26 | 233 kWh | 50.6 kg |
How we calculated this
Each cycle uses 1.12 kWh, the kind of figure an energy label or test gives for a whole cycle, heating and all. A hotter or longer programme uses more.
The figures are for ENERGY STAR certified models sold in the US and Canada. Certified models are more efficient than the average model on sale, and many are larger than the ones sold in Europe, so an older or less efficient one will use more. The energy for a wash is ENERGY STAR’s annual figure divided by the 215 washes it is based on, and it includes heating the water and standby. The power is Virginia Tech’s nameplate range, which is what a dishwasher draws while it heats and dries, so the number of minutes it is on is not a measure of what a wash costs. The starting number of washes is the survey’s median.
The starting use for a dishwasher, 4 cycles a week, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.
Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.
Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.
What drives the cost
A dishwasher costs a wash, not an hour: across 726 certified models the median uses 1.12 kWh for a wash, including heating the water and standby, which costs 29.4p at 26.32p/kWh. At 4 cycles a week that comes to £61.26 a year.
Also called: dish washer.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For a dishwasher used as typical (4 cycles a week), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | A cycle |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | 29.4p |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | 20.3¢ |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €0.45 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 0,43 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 0,29 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 0,30 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 0,33 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 0,29 |
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dishwasher | 1,800 W | — | £61.26 |
| Compact dishwasher | 1,800 W | — | £39.57 |
| Washing machine | 2,100 W | — | £20.84 |
| Tumble dryer | 2,500 W | — | £58.96 |
How to spend less on it
- Run it full: a wash costs about the same whether it holds a few plates or a full load.
- Use the eco programme where there is one, and let the dishes air dry: Virginia Tech’s table notes that the drying feature greatly increases energy use.
- Scrape plates rather than rinsing them under hot water first: most modern dishwashers do not need it.
Questions
How much does a dishwasher cost per cycle?
A typical cycle uses 1.12 kWh, which costs 29.4p at 26.32p/kWh.
How much does a dishwasher cost to run a year?
Used 4 cycles a week, it costs about £61.26 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £5.11 a month.
How many watts does a dishwasher use?
Most draw between 1,200 W and 2,400 W while running, and 1,800 W is typical. The rating is on the label or in the manual.
How much does a dishwasher cost per wash?
A typical certified dishwasher uses 1.12 kWh a wash, which costs 29.4p at 26.32p/kWh. Across models, most use between 1.04 kWh a wash and 1.12 kWh a wash.
How often do people run a dishwasher?
The UK government’s Energy Follow-Up Survey found a median of about four washes a week, which is also what ENERGY STAR’s annual figure assumes and what the starting figure here uses.
Sources
- ENERGY STAR Certified Residential Dishwashers (open data), ENERGY STAR, US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 September 2026. “ENERGY STAR certified standard dishwashers, energy per wash: median 1.12 kWh a wash across 726 certified models, 10th to 90th percentile 1.04 kWh a wash to 1.12 kWh a wash (models where type='Standard').”
- ENERGY SERIES: Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, 26 February 2020. “Dishwasher = 1200–2400 (using the drying feature greatly increases energy consumption)”
- Energy Follow-Up Survey 2011, Report 9: Domestic appliances, cooking & cooling equipment, BRE for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, December 2013. “The median number of times households typically use their dishwashers is approximately 4 times per week.”
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