It may seem a bit counter-intuitive, but a fully loaded dishwasher saves more energy and water than washing dishes by hand.
The appliance uses 50 per cent less water and 30 per cent less energy on average, found an initiative of the German Ministry of Economics and Technology.
This comes to about 45 dollars in savings annually.
Using the machine’s eco-settings can also keep operating costs in check — as a rule, this setting uses water at a comparatively lower temperature, 40 degrees Celsius, the Forum Waschen initiative says.
The one downside: Depending on the machine, each wash can take up to four hours. – dpa