How Much Does It Cost to Run a Dishwasher per Day and Month?

Source: Planning watts of 1,300 and 1 hour a day, hours a day, equal to about one cycle a day. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 5% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. It runs all year, so the yearly cost is twelve times the monthly figure.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $4 a month and the highest $19. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same dishwasher costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 40 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

A dishwasher’s electricity goes mostly to the heating element, for the wash water and the dry cycle, and the rest to the pump and motor. Using the heated dry setting adds a large share of the energy of a cycle.

The heating element and drying cycle use most of the electricity, and the rest is the water heater. Energy Star models use noticeably less than older ones.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 1,200 to 2,400 watts. At 1 hour a day that is $6 to $13 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Skip the heated dry setting and open the door at the end of the cycle.
• Run only full loads.
• Scrape plates instead of pre-rinsing.

Next step: How to lower your bill. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the kitchen and laundry group: Refrigerator, Freezer, Clothes Dryer, Washing Machine, Microwave, Electric Oven, Electric Stove, Chest Freezer, Electric Kettle, Air Fryer, Coffee Maker.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 1,300 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 1 hour is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.