UK Energy Efficient Dishwashers

I was just browsing the net and found this highly interesting website called Europe's Energy Portal. Most of the time I see lots of info on energy efficient Table Top Dishwashers on US or Canadian based websites but for the first time I've actually come across some interesting facts on an European based website focusing on energy efficiency. It's possible that's because google filters my search by region or I just haven't dug enough.

What brought my attention to this particular website was when I started looking for information on energy efficient CounterTop Dishwashers (as it is referred to in the UK). This Europe's Energy Portal has a vast wealth of data on different country energy dependence, electricity consumption by country and much more along these lines. It makes quite interesting reading, you can check it out yourself.

There is an EU Energy Label being attached to many electrical appliances, cars, bulbs. The chart is colour coded with the green being level 'A' and hence most energy efficient. The website states that dishwashers are also being labeled as such. So if I may borrow a sample chart from their website for illustration purposes.

This is a sample chart adopted from the Europe's Energy Portal page. It shows where on the energy efficiency scale your new appliance is rated. As you can see, the green rating is labeled 'A' and is considered most energy efficient. I also find it interesting that there is also a noise level mentioned on this chart.

This is a snapshot of Dishwasher energy efficiency table found on the Europe's Energy Portal. This is based on a 12 place setting machine.

I haven't come across specific info on Countertop Dishwashers as yet but I may do so eventually. The important point here is, when shopping for your next UK model Countertop Dishwasher, keep an eye out for an energy chart. If your model is labeled green or 'A', you're 'A OK' ;-) .

Table Top Dishwasher Energy Guide

In Table Top Dishwasher today, I just wanted to share some wow facts that I came across while reading some information online. You can consider it a mini energy guide or discussion.

Interesting Quick Facts:

• Table Top Dishwashers today use up to 20 times less energy than those of 20 years ago.
• If you think you hand wash dishes to save time, money and energy, guess again! You're spending more than $40 extra in utility bills, wasting more than 5000 gallons of water and wasting more than 10 days of your life every year!!
• Many newer models of dishwashers come with built in features and technology that help conserve energy and water.
• ENERGY STAR^® rated dishwashers are about 10% more efficient than non ENERGY STAR qualified models.
• If your dishwasher was manufactured before 1994, you do not own an ENERGY STAR model. It's time to get a new one!

ENERGY STAR^®

So what is ENERGY STAR? You can learn more at ENERGY STAR® , but I quote from their website

"ENERGY STAR is the trusted, government-backed symbol for energy efficiency helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices."

For legal reasons I cannot put their logo here without proper authorization but you can check it out at their website.

An ENERGY STAR qualified table top dishwasher meets strict standards defined by the government in a strong attempt to minimize wastage of resources and reduce pollution.

Newer ENERGY STAR qualified models may include Soil sensors to determine how dirty the dishes are and apply settings accordingly, Improved water filtration to remove food soils from the water so the detergent and water can be more effective at cleaning. More efficient jets use reduced energy to apply the water and detergent to dishes. Rack designs place the dishes in a strategic and proper manner to effect maximum cleaning. Some even have internal heating mechanisms so the most effective sanitization temperature can be achieved internally without the need of extra heating from external pipes.

Look for the Yellow EnergyGuide label when you buy your dishwasher. It should have information on the energy consumption of your model and look for the ENERGY STAR logo on this label or a separate blue ENERGY STAR label.

We Can Do Our Part To Help Save Our Environment

1. Look for the ENERGY STAR logo when we shop for Table Top Dishwashers (and many other items as well)
2. Choose a model that suits your needs. A model with too little place settings will have to be used more than once to complete cleaning of all your dishes hence using up more resources. A model with too many place settings for your needs would generally use more resources than a smaller unit.
3. Use lower cycle settings to wash lightly soiled dishes. It uses less resources.
4. Scrape your dirty dishes off, Don't rinse! Hand rinsing uses more water than necessary. Modern detergents are capable of doing the job. Overnight dishes can be dealt with the dishwasher's rinse setting using only a fraction of water as compared to hand rinsing.
5. Wash full loads. Each wash cycle will use around the same resources to wash no matter how many dishes are placed inside. Try not to over pack the dishwasher though, it's designed to handle a certain amount and may not clean thoroughly when overloaded.
6. Use the No-Heat drying option. Dishes dry quite well with air drying and less energy is used in the process.
   

Table Top Dishwasher Essentials?

So getting a Table Top Dishwasher or a Countertop Dishwasher (as it is also known) isn't as straight-forward as I had expected! In fact, apart from the obvious criteria of price, there are many other things to consider. I guess I always do that, it's what I did when I bought my last camera. I decide I'm ready to get it and then start researching until I realize if I want something better or more durable, I'd just have to put a bit more aside to have it. Why not? It's going to be something I use quite regularly anyway.

So let me begin my rant or more precisely, my discovery. It's not just about getting the dishwasher and  we're all set! I have to make sure I have the correct space to set up my new table top dishwasher. So there are dimensions of the appliance I need to know first. I don't want to get something that overlaps the counter severely or can't fit because the kitchen cabinet is installed too low. These items come in a standard 'range' of sizes, so what that means is, they're not all exactly the same size. If you think I'm kidding, you should see a blog post I was reading called "10 things to consider before you buy" a dishwasher. Serious stuff, man!

And then I realized one of the reason they're different sized is because they can house different amount of place settings to be cleaned. So now I'm set on a six place setting countertop dishwasher rather than a four place setting as I had originally planned. Now all I have to do is find somewhere to put it. I'll probably get a trolley or something.

But, wouldn't you know it? There's now brand and model to choose from. I'll have to go with one that seems more popular. After all, it must be more popular for a reason: reliability and warranty I guess. Some brands seem more popular because of energy and water consumption and very important, noise level at operation. You wouldn't want a truck engine in your kitchen, would you?!

So before you make the plunge like I wanted to, make sure you have the correct table top dishwasher information. I know it would be very frustrating to get something that does not fit my needs or lifestyle so it's better I make the right decision from the start.