Dishwasher Wattage and Cost to Run

A [dishwasher](/blog/repair-or-replace-dishwasher) looks like a water appliance, but on the electric meter it is a heating appliance. Its 1,200-1,800 watt draw is not the wash pump — that is modest — it is the internal heating element warming the water and then, at the end, baking the dishes dry. Understand that, and you understand both why it costs what it does and exactly which two settings control the bill: water temperature and whether you use heated dry or let the dishes air-dry.

How many watts does a dishwasher use?#

The draw is not constant across the cycle. It spikes when the heating element is on and drops to almost nothing during the drain and the (unheated) rinses.

That is why two households with the same dishwasher can have very different costs: one runs hot cycles with heated dry every night, the other runs an eco cycle and pops the door open to air-dry. Same machine, different half of the range.

How much electricity (kWh) does a dishwasher use per month — and what does it cost?#

Standard formula, small-to-moderate answer.

Monthly cost = kWh per month × your rate. At 22 kWh/month that is 22 × $0.17 = about $3.75 nationally, or 22 × $0.30 = about $6.60 in California. Per cycle that is on the order of a dime or two nationally.

The two free levers: skip heated dry (open the door and let the residual heat and evaporation finish the job) and use the eco or auto cycle, which heats less water. Together they move you toward the low end of the range at no cost in cleanliness.

When a high running cost signals a fault#

A dishwasher that starts costing more — or stops drying properly — is often faulting:

• Dishes come out wet even on heated dry. A failing heating element still draws power but no longer produces heat, wasting the energy without the result.
• The cycle runs long or the water never gets hot. A weak element or a bad thermostat stretches the cycle as the machine waits for a temperature it cannot reach.
• Poor drainage forcing re-washes. A tired drain pump means running dishes twice, doubling the energy for one clean load.

These faults waste energy quietly, and on an older machine they raise the repair-or-replace question. Our repair-or-replace dishwasher guide covers where a heating-element or control-board fault tips toward replacement, and the dishwasher lifespan guide puts it in context of the 9-12 year typical life.

What does a dishwasher cost to run in California?#

At $0.30/kWh a dishwasher runs about $5-9 a month in California — still modest, but the heated-dry setting is now paying a premium for something free air-drying can do. On a time-of-use plan, running the dishwasher in the off-peak evening rather than during the late-afternoon peak trims the cost further, and because you can start it on a delay timer, it is easy to schedule. Skip heated dry, use eco, run it off-peak: three no-cost moves that stack.

The bottom line#

A dishwasher is a $3-5-a-month appliance nationally and $5-9 in California, and nearly all of that is heat, not water-slinging. The heated-dry button and the cycle temperature are your controls — air-dry and eco keep it cheap, and in California a delayed off-peak start does the rest.

When a customer says their dishwasher "stopped drying," I check the heating element first — it is often still pulling its full draw while producing no heat, so they are paying for heated dry and not getting it. A quick element test settles it.

Dishwasher cost per day, per month, and per year#

Nearly all of a dishwasher's energy is heat — water heating and heated dry — so the two settings that control the bill also move these figures.

How to lower your dishwasher's running cost#

• Skip heated dry. Crack the door at the end and let residual heat and evaporation finish the job for free.
• Use the eco or auto cycle. These heat less water and adjust to the load instead of running a fixed hot cycle.
• Run full loads and scrape rather than pre-rinse. Pre-rinsing wastes hot water the machine is designed to provide itself.
• In California, use the delay-start timer. Kick the cycle off in the cheaper off-peak window overnight.

Where a dishwasher ranks on your electric bill#

A dishwasher lands in the modest middle of the appliance pack. At 15-30 kWh a month it costs more than a microwave but far less than an electric dryer, and the reason is the same for all three: heat. The dishwasher's bill is almost entirely water heating and heated dry, which is exactly why the two free habits — air-dry and eco — move it so much. Compared with hand-washing under a running hot tap, a full modern dishwasher is usually the cheaper and more water-efficient choice, because it heats a measured amount of water rather than an open-ended stream.

Put concretely, a household that switches from nightly hot-and-heated-dry cycles to eco-and-air-dry can shave a few dollars a month, which over a year is real money for a change that costs nothing and cleans just as well.

Frequently Asked Questions#

How much electricity does a dishwasher use?#

A dishwasher draws about 1,200-1,800 watts while its heating element is on and uses roughly 15-30 kWh per month. Most of that energy heats the water and runs the heated-dry phase; the wash pump itself uses relatively little.

How much does it cost to run a dishwasher per month?#

About $3-5 a month nationally at $0.17/kWh, or about $5-9 in California at $0.30/kWh. Running eco cycles and skipping heated dry keeps you at the low end.

Does skipping heated dry save money?#

Yes. Heated dry runs the 1,200-1,800 watt element purely to bake dishes dry. Opening the door to air-dry uses the cycle's residual heat and evaporation instead, cutting energy at no cost to cleanliness.

Is it cheaper to run the dishwasher at night?#

On a California time-of-use plan, yes. A delay-start timer lets you run it in the cheaper off-peak evening or overnight window instead of the late-afternoon peak. On a flat rate the timing does not change the bill.

Does an old dishwasher use more electricity?#

Somewhat, mainly through longer cycles and a tiring heating element, and older models also use more water — which raises the hot-water cost. A failing element can even draw power while producing no heat, wasting energy outright.