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Washing up dishes uses about 8 per cent of the total water
we use in the home.
Ownership
- Dishwasher ownership has risen from less than 5% in 1977 to over 33% in 2006.
- The average age of dishwashers is 6.9 years.
Usage
- Dishwasher use has stayed static over the past 15 years, at an average of 4 times a week per household.
Efficiency
- In the past 30 years dishwasher efficiency has risen by over 60% from an average of over 50 litres per wash in the 1970s to an average of 15 litres per wash today.
- This increase in dishwasher efficiency is likely to continue in the next few years with potential savings of 50%.
- The dishwasher half load or rinse option is only used 5% of the time.
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Is washing up by hand more water efficient than using a dishwasher?
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There is a misconception that washing up by hand always uses less water than a dishwasher, this is not true anymore.
Hand-washing can be very efficient if you use a bowl and watch how much you use. But daily handwashing typically uses about 63 litres and if dishes are rinsed off under a running tap the total water used can be 150 litres. A modern dishwasher can use as little as 10 litres of water per cycle. But make sure you fill the dishwasher or you’ll be wasting even more than if you were to wash up by hand.
The rise in dishwasher ownership and the efficiency of dishwashers has lead to a reduction in the amount of water used for washing up.
Increased ownership of dishwashers in the future in the future will have a positive impact on water use.
In recent years, new technology has helped reduce the amount of energy used by dishwashers. As a result there are a number of energy efficient dishwashers on the market. Generally energy efficient dishwashers are also more water efficient. However it is important to use your dishwasher efficiently, most dishwashers have a range of settings so try using the eco setting and if you have to wash a few things use the half load where appropriate. Also wipe waste off plates (and compost it!) rather than rinsing it off with a tap.
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Buying a new dishwasher
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If 50% more people bought a dishwasher we could save enough to supply enough drinking water to a city the size of Leeds.
When buying a dishwasher you should try to:
- choose a dishwasher that offers several different wash cycle selections. If your dishes are only lightly soiled, you can select a light wash cycle and save water and energy.
- look at the water consumption figure at the bottom of the energy rating sticker. But remember, in order to compare it fairly with other machines, you need to divide this figure by the number place settings the machine cleans in one full load.
To help you make your decision in purchasing a new dishwasher, Waterwise has ranked all the dishwashers
available on the UK market in terms of water efficiency.
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Using your dishwasher efficiently
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You don’t need to rinse your dishes under the tap before putting them in the dishwasher. New dishwashers are designed to cope with food scraps.
Wait until your dishwasher is full of dishes before washing. In most cases running your dishwasher with a full load will use
less water than washing the same number of dishes by hand.
If you wait until you have a full load, you will save water and energy and help to protect the environment.
Always follow the dishwasher and detergent manufacturer's instructions on how much detergent to use for each load.
That way you will prevent unnecessary amounts of harmful chemicals entering the sewerage system and polluting the environment.
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Still interested? Why not read
Could dishwashers be the answer to our water crisis?
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