Electricity cost · dishwasher
A 1,800 W dishwasher used about 1 hour a day costs roughly $0.34 per day, $10.40 a month, or $124.83 a year at the $0.19/kWh US average rate — and uses about 1.8 kWh a day. These are indicative figures; adjust the wattage, hours, and your $/kWh below for your own home.
Typical wattages & rates indicative, as of — use your bill's $/kWh
Running a typical 1,800 W dishwasher about 1 hour a day costs roughly $0.34 a day, $10.40 a month, and $124.83 a year at the $0.19/kWh US average — about 1.8 kWh a day. Most of a dishwasher's energy goes into heating water during a roughly one-hour cycle; idle standby draw is negligible.
These are indicative figures, not a bill. Your real cost depends on the unit's actual wattage, how long you run it, and your local rate. Enter your own watts and the $/kWh from your bill in the calculator above for an accurate estimate. Cycling appliances don't run at full power continuously.
Indicative: typical 1,800 W × 1 h/day at the $0.19/kWh US residential benchmark published for 2026-04. Appliance preset reviewed 2026-06. Use your bill for accuracy.
A single default cannot represent every home. These three profiles keep the same $0.19/kWh planning rate while changing the usage pattern that matters for this appliance.
| Profile | Assumption | Average month | Annual cost | Annual energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four cycles per week Moderate household schedule | 1,800 W × 0.57 h/day × 365 days/year | $5.94 | $71.33 | 375.429 kWh |
| One cycle per day Daily use at the planning wattage | 1,800 W × 1 h/day × 365 days/year | $10.40 | $124.83 | 657 kWh |
| Two cycles per day Large household or frequent entertaining | 1,800 W × 2 h/day × 365 days/year | $20.81 | $249.66 | 1,314 kWh |
A dishwasher's heater, pump, and drying element do not all run for the entire cycle. Prefer the EnergyGuide annual kWh or measured kWh per cycle; use watts × hours only as a transparent fallback.
The page is most useful for comparing cycle frequency and heated-dry choices. A full eco cycle can use less energy than several lightly loaded cycles even when its clock time is longer.
Indicatively, a typical 1,800 W dishwasher run about 1 hour a day costs roughly $0.34 per day, $10.40 per month, and $124.83 per year at the US-average rate of $0.19/kWh, using about 1.8 kWh a day (657 kWh a year). Most of a dishwasher's energy goes into heating water during a roughly one-hour cycle; idle standby draw is negligible. These are indicative figures — your real cost depends on the unit's actual wattage, how long you run it, and your own electricity rate.
At a typical 1,800 W and 1 hour of use a day, it draws about 1.8 kWh per day — roughly 657 kWh over a year on the default schedule. Most energy is heating water during a ~1 h cycle; idle draw is negligible. Multiply the kWh by your own $/kWh to get your cost.
The two levers are running it less (fewer hours or, for seasonal items, fewer days) and paying less per kWh. Using the appliance during off-peak hours can help if you're on a time-of-use plan, and a more efficient model lowers the wattage. The single most accurate thing you can do is enter your real wattage and your bill's $/kWh in the calculator above.
Source links and page assumptions reviewed .
Indicative estimate only. The 1,800 W figure is a typical indicative value, not a spec for your specific dishwasher, and $0.19/kWh is an indicative US average, not your tariff. Real cost varies widely by model, efficiency, usage, and your local rate and plan. For an accurate figure, use the wattage on your appliance and the $/kWh on your electricity bill. Appliance presets reviewed 2026-06; rate benchmark published for 2026-04.