Save Energy at Home

Energy-Saving Tips Cards

Picture of energy tip card

Download our hot weather energy-saving tips cards and reduce electricity costs as well as protect the environment.

Dishwasher Tips

No Cost

  • Avoid using the "rinse hold" setting on your dishwasher. "Rinse hold" uses three to seven gallons of hot water for each use, and heating water takes extra energy. Never use "rinse hold" for just a few dirty dishes.
  • Check and clean the dishwasher drain as necessary. Solid pieces of food waste can build up over the dishwasher drain and cause the dishwasher to work harder.
  • If your dishwasher has an air-dry setting, use it instead of the heat-dry setting. You will cut the dishwasher's energy use 15 to 50%. If there is no air-dry setting, turn the dishwasher off after its final rinse and open the door. The dishes will dry without using extra electricity.
  • Load dishes in their proper locations to ensure maximum cleaning efficiency. See the dishwasher owner's manual for instructions on proper loading.
  • Reduce hot water temperature. Set the water heater to the "normal" setting or 120°F, unless the owner's manual for the dishwasher requires a higher setting. Savings are 7 to 11% of water heating costs.
  • Run the dishwasher only when fully loaded. If necessary, scrape dirty dishes (with cold rather than hot water) and store them in the dishwasher until you have a full load.
  • Run your dishwasher after 7 p.m. Wash only full loads and use the shortest possible cycle.
  • Scrape don't rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher. Pre-rinsing can use up to 20 gallons of water.

Good Investment

  • Buy an ENERGY STAR dishwasher with energy-saving settings, such as partial load setting (which uses less hot water) and energy-efficient drying cycles.
  • Choose a dishwasher that gives you the option of air-drying the dishes, instead of heat-drying, which consumes more energy.
  • Switching from hand washing to an ENERGY STAR dishwasher could potentially result in substantial water and energy savings. If you leave the water running when washing dishes by hand, you can use up to 24 gallons of water. ENERGY STAR dishwasher uses roughly 7 gallons of water. You can also save energy by reducing the need to heat water.