For Consumers
Dishwashers
Dishwashers
Dishwashers have become a modern convenience that many households cannot live without. They can save time, but consume electricity and water, adding to household bills.
Choosing your dishwasher carefully and using it carefully will help you reduce your energy costs and environmental footprint.
Household dishwashers need to:
- meet Minimum Energy Performance Standards.
- display an Energy Rating Label.
The Energy Rating Label
The more stars, the more savings.
The Energy Rating Label helps you make informed choices when buying a dishwasher. It provides 3 important pieces of information about the appliance:
- star rating
- estimated annual energy consumption
- ‘Program Time’.
The star rating shows the energy efficiency of an appliance. It allows you to compare of the efficiency of products that have similar capacity and features. The more stars, the less energy it uses and the cheaper it is to run.
The energy consumption tells you the estimated amount of electricity the appliance can use in a year. This helps you predict the running costs, and assumes you use your appliance 7 times a week.
The ‘Program Time’ relates to the program used to test the model’s energy performance. It is the time, in minutes, the dishwasher takes to complete that program cycle.
It must also display the:
- brand
- model of the dishwasher
- rated capacity, which is the number of place settings that can be loaded in the dishwasher. One place setting equates to a large plate, a soup bowl, dessert bowl, a cup and saucer, a glass and a set of cutlery.
- primary water connection, which is the connection used for the energy labelling calculation
- program name, which is what the program used to calculate the estimated annual energy consumption. It is assumed that dishwashers are used 7 times a week.
Know your labels
This is the new Energy Rating Label which is being phased in from 4 October 2024. This label is only used on models that have a 6-star (or below) rating.
The new super-efficient Energy Rating Label is being phased in from 4 October 2024. This is used for models that meet or beat a 7-star rating.
This is the older Energy Rating Label which you may see on some appliances up to 3 October 2030 when they will be phased out.
Water Rating Label
Dishwashers must display a Water Rating Label, under the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme.
The scheme was established in 2005 to encourage more efficient domestic water use and reduce demand for drinking water in Australia by informing consumers about water efficiency. It regulates taps, showers, toilets, urinals, flow controllers, dishwashers and washing machines.
Visit the Water Rating site for more information
Tips for using your dishwasher
Additional resources
Visit Your Home which provides information on designing new homes and home improvements. There is a dedicated Reducing water use section, that provides information about dishwashers and more.