10 Greenest Dishwashers
Dishwashers have improved a lot in recent decades. Not only do they clean better, but they have become much more efficient. In the 1990s, the average dishwasher used 10 gallons of water per cycle. Today, some use as little as 2 gallons. There is no longer any question about whether dishwashers or handwashing uses more water and electricity.
Dishwashers barely rank in the top 10 most energy-intensive appliances in the home anymore, but buying a dishwasher is still a major purchase that you hope to use for at least 10 and maybe up to 20 years. You want the greenest dishwasher you can buy now, so that you can be happy with your purchase even after new technology raises the bar.
The information in this article is based on our research to help you pick the most sustainable products. The results — displayed below in a printable chart you can use when shopping — reveal just how Earth-friendly dishwashers can get.
Comparison Chart
To view our complete printable comparison chart, click the table below.
Criteria Not Considered
Stainless steel dishwasher interiors are recyclable, while plastic interiors are not. Most brands offer both kinds, so our comparison chart, which evaluates entire brands rather than individual washers, does not include interior construction material as a criterion. But consumers, when narrowing their choices down to a specific washer for purchase, should consider whether the interior is metal or plastic.
For other products, like mattresses, shipping and packaging are important criteria in Earth911 buyers’ guides. However, few dishwasher brands sell directly to retail customers. Most homeowners will purchase their dishwashers from third parties whose practices will vary. This is the same reason that pricing information (usually provided as a courtesy rather than a criterion) in the chart is incomplete. Manufacturers that don’t sell directly don’t always list the manufacturer’s suggested retail price on their websites, and retailers rarely sell a brand’s entire line.
Criteria Considered
Efficiency
The two factors involved in dishwasher efficiency are energy and water use. Maximizing efficient use of one often requires using more of the other. Since 2016, the Energy Star criteria for standard-sized dishwashers (eight or more place-setting capacity) are ≤ 270 kWh/year and ≤ 3.5 gallons/cycle. Dishwasher brands had to meet these Energy Star standards to be considered for this buyers’ guide.
All brands listed make at least one Energy Star certified dishwasher. Many of them make only Energy Star products. The highest ranked manufacturers make dishwashers that are rated Energy Star Most Efficient. These dishwashers exceed regular Energy Star standards and use no more than 240 kWh/year and 3.2 gallons of water per cycle.
Eco-Cycle Options
The energy and water use information on an appliance’s “yellow tag” is based on a standard run cycle. Many dishwashers have programs that allow you to run them more efficiently, like “eco-cycle,” air dry, or adjustable temperature settings. “Auto wash” programs detect how full and how dirty the load is, adjusting the water and temperature accordingly. Auto wash or “auto sense” programs can save water and energy. However, if you’re in the habit of running extra-full loads of crusty dishes, auto wash could end up using more water and energy than the advertised efficiency for the model.
For this comparison, eco-cycles were given priority. Auto sense programs were considered eco-cycles but were not weighted as heavily. Lowering the temperature of wash water can also save energy. However, few people ever learn how to operate manual settings on home appliances, so manual temperature adjustments were not a rating consideration. If you are the sort of person who does use manual settings, you may be able to shop lower on this list and achieve the same efficiency as higher rated products.
Half-load programs were not considered eco-cycles because they use more than half as much energy and water as a full load. They are not as efficient as a full load and more frequent operation will shorten the life of the appliance. So, it is better to buy the right-sized dishwasher for your needs and run only full loads.
Reliability
Finding information on the embodied environmental costs (the environmental impact of manufacturing) of appliances is close to impossible. But no matter how efficient a dishwasher is per load, the overall environmental cost will be higher if the machine needs to be replaced after only a few years. Most dishwashers are designed and tested to last about 10 years. Some brands are anecdotally known for lasting longer. But Asko and Miele are the only brands that claim…
