Jeff ) said...

Sounds like you are doing a lot. Consumer reports just said that a dish
washer uses much less water (which is hot water) than hand washing so maybe
you want to keep using it.

Running the dishwasher (and clothes washer and dryer) in off peak hours
can result in a savings. For most of us, this savings is not direct as
we pay for electricity based on how much we use, not when we use it, but
the utility's price will be based on what they pay and it is related to
when it is used, so any shift in the load to an off peak time will
indirectly effect price. If you have a smart meter, it will save you
directly.

That said, be careful HOW you shift your usage to an off peak time.
I know a number of people who use the delayed start feature on their
diswhashers to have it clean the dishes in the middle of the night, and
this can be MORE costly.

Some dishwashers have fully electronic controls so you can specify what
cycle to use and when. Many do not, and they use a dial you turn to the
various settings. Our dishwasher is of this type and we can set a delayed
start up to 6 hours. The trouble is, when this is done the WHOLE dial is
used, so when the cleaning actually takes place we get a HEAVY cycle. If
the load of dishes can be sufficiently cleaned with the normal cycle or
even the short cycle, we are stuck with the heavy cycle when using the
delayed start.

By simply starting the dishwasher before going to bed, it is possible to
select the cycle needed.

There is another issue that applies if your hot water is heated with
natural gas or propane. Both of these (at least in our area) are cheaper
than electricity. When manually starting the dishwasher, you can first run
the hot water until it gets hot, so the dishwasher gets filled with
gas-heated water. On the delayed cycle, it fills with cooler water that is
in the pipes. The dishwasher will then heat, by more expensive electricity,
the water so that it is at the temperature needed to wash the dishes.

Of course, if your hot water is electrically heated, it doessn't matter
whether the hot water heater heats it or the dishwasher (it may actually
be more efficient for the dishwasher to heat it in this case!).

--
Calvin Henry-Cotnam
"Never ascribe to malice what can equally be explained by incompetence."
- Napoleon
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