How much does a dishwasher cost to run?

A standard dishwasher draws 1,200 to 1,500 watts when the internal heating element is active and 200 to 400 watts when only the pump is running. A full cycle lasts 90 to 150 minutes, with the heater cycling on and off throughout. That works out to about 1.0 to 1.5 kWh of direct electricity per cycle, or $0.18 to $0.27 at the US-average residential rate of 18.05¢/kWh. Running 215 cycles a year (the DOE standard for a typical household), the dishwasher itself uses 215 to 325 kWh and costs $39 to $58.

The hot-water share is a different appliance and a different bill. A standard cycle draws 3 to 6 gallons of water, most of it at 120°F from the household water heater. Heating 4 gallons of water from a 55°F groundwater temperature takes about 0.65 kWh on an electric tank heater, or $0.12 per cycle. Over 215 cycles a year, that's 140 kWh and $25 added to the electric bill. On the appliance-plus-water-heating total, a typical household pays $65 to $85 a year at the national average, with households that run the heated-dry option every cycle landing closer to $100. Older models, households that pre-rinse, and higher state rates push the number up from there.

Hand washing feels thrifty. It is not. According to the Department of Energy, a modern ENERGY STAR dishwasher uses 3 to 5 gallons of water per cycle. Hand washing the same load of dishes with a running tap uses 20 or more gallons. Even with a filled sink, the typical hand-wash draws 8 to 12 gallons. Every one of those gallons is hot, because cold water doesn't cut grease. At 20 gallons of 120°F water per dish session, hand washing uses about 3.2 kWh of water heating, or $0.58 per session. Doing that once a day across 365 days adds up to 1,170 kWh and $211 a year in water heating alone. The dishwasher's total, including the appliance's own draw, comes in at half that. The DOE dishwasher guidance makes the same point more directly: an efficient dishwasher running a full load uses less than half the water of washing the same dishes by hand.

The advantage disappears if the dishwasher is run half-empty or if every load is pre-rinsed under a running tap. Modern detergents (the enzyme-based ones from Cascade, Finish, and Seventh Generation) are formulated to attach to food residue on contact. They need something to grip. A dish scraped clean of solids and loaded with a light film of food is the design target. Pre-rinsing defeats the enzymes and adds 6 to 10 gallons of hot water per load to the bill.

A 1 kWh cycle with 0.65 kWh of water heating costs $0.21 in Louisiana at 12.44¢/kWh, $0.24 in Texas at 14.8¢, $0.30 at the national average, $0.47 in Connecticut at 28.7¢, and $0.66 in Hawaii at 39.89¢. Across 215 cycles a year, that's a total dishwasher-plus-water-heating cost of $45 in Louisiana, $52 in Texas, $65 at the national average, $101 in Connecticut, and $142 in Hawaii. Same dishwasher, same dishes, same schedule, different state. The full state rate breakdown lists the current 2026 residential rates for all 50 states. In the highest-rate states, trading a heated-dry cycle for air-dry saves enough to cover a new detergent brand every month.

An ENERGY STAR-certified dishwasher uses 12% less energy and 30% less water than the federal minimum. On the appliance draw alone, that's modest. On the water-heating share, it compounds. A certified front-control dishwasher uses about 240 kWh a year (appliance plus water heating) compared to 330 kWh for a non-rated pre-2013 model. That's 90 kWh of savings, or $16 at the national average and $36 in Hawaii. Payback on the $100 to $200 efficiency premium over a basic model runs six to twelve years at average rates, three to six in high-rate states. The current list of certified models is on the ENERGY STAR dishwasher finder, with annual kWh and gallons-per-cycle listed per model.

The dishwasher appliance page lists wattage ranges for standard and high-efficiency models from the major brands.

Heated dry adds 0.3 to 0.5 kWh per cycle because the internal element runs for an extra 20 to 30 minutes at the end. Switching to air-dry or opening the door at the end of the wash cycle saves 65 to 108 kWh a year, or $12 to $19 at the national average. Eco-mode or the extended cycle on most modern dishwashers uses less energy than the normal cycle, not more, because it relies on a longer soak with less hot water. Running full loads instead of half loads cuts per-year cycle count directly. A household that reduces from 300 cycles to 215 saves roughly $25 at average rates and $50 in high-rate states, without changing anything else.

The rinse-only or quick-rinse cycle is often the most expensive option per dish cleaned. It uses nearly as much hot water as a full cycle but spreads it across a smaller load. Skip it unless the dishwasher won't run again for more than a day.

The dishwasher, the washer, and the water heater are a single system. The dishwasher's $100 to $200 lands on top of the washer's $20 to $170 (depending on hot-water use) and the water heater's own $400 to $600 baseline. The water heater breakdown covers the largest of the three in detail, and the washing machine breakdown shows how cold-water washing collapses the laundry side of the bill. Every dollar cut from heated-dry cycles, hot rinses, or oversized hot-wash loads comes off the water heater's number. The ranked list of household appliances by annual cost puts the dishwasher in its actual position, which is middle of the pack, not the top.

Dishwasher wattage, cycle length, and how much hot water the unit draws all vary by model. State rates vary by a factor of three. Plug in your rate and your dishwasher's wattage below to see what a typical cycle costs at your address. For the hot-water share, use the water heater entry.

If the dishwasher's cost is part of a broader bill increase and the source isn't obvious, the high-bill diagnostic walkthrough covers how to isolate which appliance is actually driving the change.