Dilemma: Wash dishes by hand or run them through the dishwasher?
Of course I'll: Run the dishes through a dishwasher; as long as I run a full load, it's a more efficient use of resources.
Trade-off: It takes electricity to run a dishwasher, and generating that electricity emits greenhouse gases.
Then I'll: Wash my dishes by hand. At least I don't have to plug something in.
Trade-off: Unless you remember to turn off the water while you're sudsing the pots and pans, you may end up using a whole lot more water than with a dishwasher.
Experts say: Noah Horowitz, senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council: Few people are aware that the average home actually contributes more to global warming pollution each year than the average car," highlighting the value of energy-efficient appliances in reducing environment impacts.
Horowitz says, "An average new dishwasher only uses 6 gallons per load and an Energy Star-qualified model will use only 4 gallons. Compare that to your kitchen faucet that uses 2 gallons of water per minute. Unless you can clean a whole load of dishes in less than three minutes, which would be miraculous, you are much better off simply scraping off the big chunks and putting the dishes in the dishwasher."
Regarding the energy question, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy says: "About 60 percent of the energy used by a dishwasher goes toward heating the water." So models that use less water also consume less energy.
Verdict: You'd have to be a very quick and efficient hand washer to be as efficient as an Energy Star-rated dishwasher, but it's not impossible. If you go that route, be sure to turn off water while you lather up the dishes, and don't rinse them for too long. To make the dishwasher route work best, run it only when it's full, scrape (don't rinse) dishes prior to loading, run it on the "light" cycle, and opt against heated drying.
