Loads of savings — maximize energy savings with your dishwasher
5 reasons to stop washing dishes by hand
If you loathe hand-washing your dishes, it’s probably time to ditch the chore. Dishwashers today are made with advanced technologies to cut both grease and your electric bill. Here are five good reasons to load your dishes and let your machine do the work.

- Conserve more energy and water
Energy-efficient dishwashers use less water and electricity. A new ENERGY STAR® dishwasher takes about half the amount of energy to clean dishes as hand washing. This could save you about 10 percent in annual energy costs. You can also expect to save up to 5,000 gallons of water per year. Remember, always fill your dishwasher, but don’t overload it.
- Save money
Paying a little more up front for an energy-efficient appliance is an investment that will save big in the long run. You could save more than $40 each year by upgrading to an ENERGY STAR dishwasher.
- Save time
Life is busy and washing the dishes takes time. Rather than getting your hands dirty, load your dishes and start a cycle. In just one year, you could save about 230 hours — nearly 10 days — of your time by using a dishwasher.
- Make your dishes sparkle
With temperatures reaching as high as 140 degrees, most new dishwashers will clean dishes better than hand-washing. Additionally, they use less energy and water than ever before.
- It’s a greener way to clean
As you put your dishwasher to work, you can also feel good about reducing your carbon footprint and water usage. Your energy-efficient dishwasher helps reduce air pollution and is environmentally friendlier than doing the dishes by hand.
In the market to purchase a new dishwasher or other appliance? May 25-27 is this year’s ENERGY STAR Sales Tax Holiday. Purchase ENERGY STAR appliances during this time without having to pay the sales tax. To get the full details, visit the Texas Comptroller’s website and read more energy-saving tips at pec.coop/savings.