How much does it cost to run a dishwasher in the UK?

Price updated 9 July 2026 · Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep)

A typical dishwasher (1,300 W) used 1 hour a day, 5 days a week costs about £7.37 a month (£88.49 a year) at 26.11p/kWh.

Almost all of a dishwasher's electricity goes on heating water, not on the pump or the motor. A typical eco cycle uses around 1–1.5 kWh, while hotter and faster programmes use more. Counter-intuitively, the long 'eco' cycle is usually the cheapest because it heats water to a lower temperature and holds it, and a full dishwasher generally beats washing the same load by hand under a running hot tap.

Work out your own cost

About £7.37 a month · £88.49 a year

Per hour34p

Per day34p

Per week£1.70

Per month£7.37

Per year£88.49

Uses about 339 kWh a year. Prefilled with the Ofgem cap of 26.11p/kWh — edit any box for your own figures.

Cost by model power

The same dishwasher can vary a lot between models, so here is the range from a low-power to a high-power example.

Based on 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, at 26.11p/kWh.
Model	Power	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low-power model	700 W	18p	18p	£3.97	£47.65
Typical model	1,300 W	34p	34p	£7.37	£88.49
High-power model	2,100 W	55p	55p	£11.91	£142.95

How we model this: Dishwashers vary their power through a cycle. The wattage shown is an effective average so that one hour of use approximates a typical cycle's energy.

What changes the cost

The programme you choose (eco vs intensive)
Water temperature the cycle heats to
Whether you run it full or half-empty
Rinse-only pre-programmes add cost

Save money: Run the eco cycle and only when the machine is full — it uses less water and heats it less, which is where nearly all the cost sits.

Common questions

Is the eco setting really cheaper?

Usually yes. It heats water to a lower temperature over a longer time, and heating water is where almost all the energy goes.

Related appliances

Washing machine