How to buy a dishwasher that will save you time AND money

According to Liam Gawne, who works for appliance manufacturer Miele, using a water-saving dishwasher can actually help you save thousands of litres of water every year. Although hand washing may be quick and easy if you only have a few dishes, but it won't save water when compared to a fully loaded dishwasher. Washing 130 dishes with just 6.5 litres of water seems impossible, right? Not if you have the right dishwasher.

If you are considering purchasing a dishwasher, these tips might help you choose the most water-efficient one:

EU energy label:
These provide a good indicator of how much energy (kilowatts) and water (litres) the appliance uses and noise it makes. Dishwashers are graded and goods with no label are considered to be more expensive in the long run. The most energy efficient would get a rating of A to the least efficient with a D rating, and it would be more advisable to compare kilowatts rather than the letter ratings, as it may differentiate between appliances.

Eco-friendly features:
Those little features you get whenever you buy something new are always an added bonus, especially when it can save you a ton of money. Some dishwashers come with an automatic load recognition technology, which adjusts your settings to suit the amount of load that’s in your machine. There’s also a SmartStart technology that automatically switches the machine on when the electricity tariff is at its cheapest and EcoFeedback tracks and shows how much your machine has consumed daily.

Find your size:
If it’s just you and your partner, a standard dishwasher, which could hold up to 14 place settings wouldn’t really be ideal for you. There are compact dishwashers that can hold up to 6 or 8, however this depends on how much cutlery you use. The more you use your machine, the more energy you use.

A dishwasher with options:
When purchasing any dishwasher, avoid buying the dishwasher with a simple on or off switch and rather opt for a machine that allows you to adjust and choose a particular wash cycle or mode to suit your array of wash loads.

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