How Much Does It Cost to Run a Dishwasher? $0.31/Hr, $3.40/Mo
Running a dishwasher at 1,800 watts for 0.57 hours a day costs about $0.17 a day and $3.40 a month at 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢) — roughly $41 a year.
· Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23
On this page: CalculatorTableHow we calculatedSources
Jump to calculator ↓Slider nudges the rate for a dishwasher; the URL keeps it.
The same a dishwasher at 0.57 hours a day costs $2.40 a month at 12¢ and $9.00 at 45¢ — usage held constant, only the rate moving:
| Electricity rate | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12¢/kWh | $0.216 | $0.12 | $2.40 | $29 |
| 15¢/kWh | $0.270 | $0.15 | $3.00 | $36 |
| 17¢/kWh (US avg) | $0.306 | $0.17 | $3.40 | $41 |
| 20¢/kWh | $0.360 | $0.21 | $4.00 | $48 |
| 25¢/kWh | $0.450 | $0.26 | $5.00 | $60 |
| 30¢/kWh | $0.540 | $0.31 | $6.00 | $72 |
| 35¢/kWh | $0.630 | $0.36 | $7.00 | $84 |
| 45¢/kWh | $0.810 | $0.46 | $9.00 | $108 |
- Typical power draw
- 1,800 W (1,200–2,400 W)
- Assumed use
- 0.57 h/day, 19.5 days/month
- Energy per day
- 1.03 kWh
- Cost per day
- $0.17
- Cost per month
- $3.40
- Cost per year
- $41
Why this number
A dishwasher rated at 1,800 watts, run 0.57 hours a day, costs about $0.17 a day — about $3.40 a month, or $41 a year — at the US average electricity rate of 17¢/kWh. That places it 27th of the 40 appliances tracked here, near the bottom. It is not where a high bill comes from, and switching it off will not rescue one.
What actually drives this number
Most of a dishwasher’s electricity goes on heating water and on the heated dry cycle, not the motor. This assumes four to five cycles a week, which is a normal household rhythm, and lands at the ENERGY STAR ceiling for a standard-size machine. Skipping heated dry is the single biggest saving available and costs nothing to try.
At 1,800 W every hour of this load costs about $0.31, and no more efficient unit exists to buy — resistance heat is resistance heat at any price point. At this scale the levers are habit-sized, not equipment-sized: its closest heat-category neighbor on a monthly bill is the electric oven at about $2.92, and the electricity cost calculator prices any wattage-and-hours pattern at your own rate.
Where this number comes from
- Benchmark: 240 kWh/year — the 240 kWh/yr ENERGY STAR ceiling for a standard-size machine is in the ENERGY STAR dishwasher criteria
- Assumed use for a dishwasher: 0.57 h/day, 19.5 days/month, 12 months/year — every one of these is editable in the calculator above
- Rate for a dishwasher: 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢), from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A ; the state selector above fills in yours
Putting Dishwasher in proportion
At 17¢/kWh, a dishwasher next to the rest of the bill:
- Dishwasher at $3.40 a month is close to Electric oven at $2.92, and about 2x less than Electric blanket ($8.16)
- One hour of a dishwasher uses as much as 30 hours of a 60 W Wi-Fi router
- Over a year a dishwasher comes to $41 — about 0.3 months of a $150 monthly electricity bill
For a dishwasher: making heat is where household electricity goes, but how it is made decides the bill. A resistance element — an oven, a dryer, a resistance furnace, a kettle — converts every watt into exactly one watt of heat, so a cheap appliance and an expensive one with the same rating cost the same to run and efficiency is not something you can shop for. Equipment that moves heat instead of making it, like a heat pump, delivers several units of heat per unit of electricity and breaks that rule entirely. The only levers on a resistance load are running it less, running it lower, or heating a smaller space. On this site’s own numbers, a dishwasher lands at #27 of 40 on the monthly-cost ranking, at about $3.40 for a typical month.
The formula, in full
The 1,800 W arithmetic for a dishwasher, step by step:
- Watts to kilowatts. 1,800 W ÷ 1,000 = 1.80 kW.
- Energy per day. 1.80 kW × 0.57 hours = 1.03 kWh.
- Cost per day. 1.03 kWh × $0.17 = $0.17.
- Cost per month. $0.17 × 19.5 days = $3.40.
For a dishwasher the two levers are run-hours (0.57 h/day here) and your rate; used this briefly, even 1,800 W costs little — which is why anything that makes heat dominate the rankings.
Related
Other heating loads: Electric blanket ($41/yr), Electric oven ($35/yr), Hair dryer ($23/yr). Closest on annual cost: 65-inch LED TV ($31/yr), Chest freezer ($51/yr). Across all other heating loads here, the cheapest is Air fryer at $1.33/mo and the priciest is Electric furnace at $119.34/mo.
The a dishwasher table above runs a fixed rate ladder (12–45¢); the state quick-fill uses July 2026 averages from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A .
Put a dishwasher ($3.40 a month) against everything else in the electricity cost calculator , check your state’s rate , or browse all 40 appliances ; year-round high bills: solar savings calculator .
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a dishwasher per hour?
About $0.306 an hour for a dishwasher at 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢), for a 1,800 W unit. The calculation is 1,800 ÷ 1,000 × 1 hour × $0.17 per kWh. At 30¢/kWh the same hour costs $0.540.
How much does a dishwasher add to my monthly bill?
Roughly $3.40 a month for a dishwasher at 0.57 hours a day, 19.5 days a month, 17¢/kWh. That is about $41 a year if you use it that much year-round. For a dishwasher, change the 0.57-hour default to your own use — run-time moves the total as much as the 1,800 W does.
How many watts does a dishwasher use?
Typically around 1,800 W, with real units ranging from about 1,200 to 2,400 W depending on size, model and setting. The nameplate on your own unit is the figure to trust — these are typical values for planning, not a measurement of your appliance.
Why is my actual bill higher than the a dishwasher figure?
$3.40 a month is the energy cost of a dishwasher alone; your bill adds fixed connection charges, delivery fees, taxes and every other load. Add the other appliances in the index to a dishwasher for the controllable part of the bill.
How we calculated this
Worked for a dishwasher: 1,800 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.57 h × $0.17 = $0.17 a day; × 19.5 days = $3.40 a month; × 12 months in use = $41 a year. 1,800 W and 0.57 h are the typical figures cited for a dishwasher; 17¢ is EIA’s 2025 annual US average.Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.
Where to go next
- Cost to run electric oven — The next cheaper item on the list: $2.92 a month against a dishwasher’s $3.40.
- Cost to run electric blanket — The next pricier item: $8.16 a month, which puts a dishwasher in proportion.
- All 40 appliances ranked by monthly cost — Dishwasher is 27 of 40; the full ranking at 17¢/kWh.
- Electricity cost calculator — Any wattage and hours, not just a dishwasher — with the state quick-fill.
- Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Your own utility’s average rate, sent straight into the a dishwasher calculator.