I’m a dishwasher pro – you’re stacking it wrong & it’s costing you hundreds, plus the button you must press to save cash
ENERGY experts have revealed how to make the most out of your dishwasher for less.
The appliance pros explained that everything down to the way you stack your dishes can cost you money.
The experts at Utilita Energy revealed two common dishwasher habits that are costing households £63 a year.
The energy company estimated that the errors could be costing UK residents a total of £171 million a year as well as significantly increasing carbon emissions.
According to Utilita, two simple tweaks can help save your money and the planet.
First, the company addressed the common issue when it comes to loading your dishwasher.
“The costliest of the two bad habits is turning the dishwasher on when it’s only half full, which 21% of dishwasher owners are guilty of,” they explained.
Utilita estimated that this habit costs 75p a week, or £38.84 a year, totaling to £116 million across all UK households.
A fifth of dishwasher owners in the UK admit to starting their machines when it is only half full.
As well as loading their machines wrong, the company revealed that most dishwasher owners are choosing settings which aren’t economically savvy.
Utilita reported that 73% of households admit to not using the eco mode on their machines.
By not using this economy mode, households are missing out on 47p a week or £24.30 a year, which totals to £55m across all households in the UK.
Households that are both guilty of both errors are throwing away £63.14 a year.
Ella Jones, Sustainability Manager at Utilita Energy, spoke about the mistakes.
“We are all creatures of habit when it comes to our home behaviours, but by revealing the cost and environmental savings, we hope to help people make better informed decisions,” she said.
Utilita reported that the combined carbon emissions created by the two errors are equivalent to a diesel car travelling around Earth’s equator 20,000 times.
And the water wasted by households guilty of each habit is equivalent to 34 full baths a year per household.
Vampire appliances that are draining your money
Appliance expert Ian Palmer-Smith revealed the eight electrical products that may be increasing your household bills, even when they are left on standby.
- Washing machines
- Dishwashers
- Tumble dryers
- TVs
- Microwaves
- Computer monitors
- Printers
- Coffee machines
This could also be totalled to 94 million baths across all UK households annually.
Ella shared her top tips on how to cut down your dishwasher costs.
First, she recommended reading your machine’s instructions as stacking systems may differ.
These systems are specially designed to wash as many items effectively on every wash so if you don’t load your machine correctly, you’ll never get 100% efficiency.
Ella also highlighted the importance of opting for the eco mode on your machine.
“Although it may take longer, it will always be the cheapest option,” she explained.
She also advised dishwasher owners to wait to run their machines until they are full.
“If you find yourself putting a half-full dishwasher on to get rid of the smell, get a freshener which will mask any food smells until it’s ready,” she advised.
“If it’s going to be more than a day, rinse of any food residue, which will help.”
She also reminded dishwasher owners that running their machines at night, at the lower rate, can help save them money.
And finally, Ella recommended leaving out larger items such as kitchenware or crockery as it can stop the spray arm spinning, leading to rewashes every time.