Does the eco function on a dishwasher still save money

andyquarch

We had this argument in the office recently: 3 hour eco mode Vs the quick wash. A recent which magazine has the general advice to use eco mode and it started the discussion.

One our engineers had some spare time and went to measure it in detail.  For our Bosch model, the Eco mode was 18% higher cost than the quick wash.  Now this is only valid for a single unit, but it looks like the 'eco' mode is being compared to the 'intensive' wash rather than eco meaning 'the cheapest program to run'!

I can't post a link to the blog, but for anyone interested in very detailed power analysis of a dishwasher, search for 'Quarch dishwasher blog'

ka7e

But the quick wash is usually only suitable for pre-rinsed dishes and inefficient at cleaning heavy soiling. The detergent may not dissolve properly leaving residue on the plates etc. A relative of mine used the quick cycle exclusively and found a greasy film coated the interior of the dishwasher that only an intensive cleaning cycle would remove.

MeteredOut

The manual should tell you how many kWh each cycle uses, though some may have variable cycles based on load (depending on model).

Sometimes manufacturers, when referring to eco, are talking not just about electricity usage, but also water consumption.

BobT36

andyquarch said:

We had this argument in the office recently: 3 hour eco mode Vs the quick wash. A recent which magazine has the general advice to use eco mode and it started the discussion.

One our engineers had some spare time and went to measure it in detail.  For our Bosch model, the Eco mode was 18% higher cost than the quick wash.  Now this is only valid for a single unit, but it looks like the 'eco' mode is being compared to the 'intensive' wash rather than eco meaning 'the cheapest program to run'!

I can't post a link to the blog, but for anyone interested in very detailed power analysis of a dishwasher, search for 'Quarch dishwasher blog'

Do those models not have a "standard" wash? 
Mine has a super quick wash, a quick wash, standard, eco and intensive. 

I thought it was pretty obvious the "Eco" would be as compared to the standard / intensive washes and not the "quick" ones that are just designed as a quick rinse for mostly clean glasses and other pots with no soiling or grease.. 

Lorian

I tested eco Vs quick on my Bosch a couple of years ago and as I recall the ECO uses 0.5kw less than quick wash. However It takes much longer and some of the saving is gained by the door popping open to finish the drying, but it works Ok.

Swipe

I have a counter top dishwasher and it uses just 0.5kWh and 6 litres of water in eco mode but the cycle takes 3 hours 15 mins which suits me as I run it during the last 3 hours of E7 cheap rate a couple of times a week.

downshifter98

Can't stop myself from running some items under tap before placing in the dishwasher (not on a water meter) and therefore we mainly use the 30 min quick wash - works for most items and never found residue - also cheaper as no drying cycle so we just leave for 3 hours and find that everything still comes out dry. We use the high setting occasionally to mainly clean the machine! 

coffeehound

Just run the numbers on our d/w:  the eco programme saves almost six new pence