Every so often my roommate’s boyfriend eats dinner with us at our apartment. After we eat he usually helps out with the clean-up by washing the dishes by hand. I have always been told that the dishwasher is more efficient at getting the job done, but I was thankful to be getting help, so I never complain. While researching to find out how much energy and water are saved by using the dishwasher I found this website: http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/dishwashers.htm . I realize that this may or may not be a credible website, but I found the information to be very interesting. According to the article, a representative from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy states that as long as the dishwasher is only run when full and the dishes are not rinsed before being placed in the appliance, dishwashers are more efficient. The University of Bonn claims that dishwashers use half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing. The study also showed that the dishes washed by the appliance are more sanitary.

The EPA also recommends turning off the dry-heat, pre-rinse, and rinse-hold features of the appliance to save energy. Also dishwashers manufactured after 1994 are supposed to use only 7-10 gallons, whereas older machines could use 8-15 gallons per cycle. Living in an apartment, I don't have much of a choice about the dishwasher; but I could see where spending money on an Energy Star rated dishwasher could save you money in the long run, as well as make you feel good about saving energy and water. With those tips in mind, I plan to rely more on the convenient, and often undervalued dishwasher.