Energy Efficiency With today's environmental considerations, today's dishwashers have been built to consume less energy than you'd need to wash the dishes by hand! Whatever kind of integrated dishwasher you choose as appropriate to your needs, you can cut down its operating costs by: avoiding rinsing the dishes under the hot tap before loading them; ensuring that you have fully loaded the machine before using it; if possible, use off-peak power; choose the economy cycle as long as the dishes aren't too dirty and last of all by connecting to the cold instead of the hot water supply.
Warranties Every Manufacturer provides twelve months parts and labour warranties.
Some provide extended parts warranties but these often insist that you use their own engineers - at a premium cost in comparison with independent engineers.
Half Load Function The 'half load' function is now common on many dishwashers.
This function allows you to tell the dishwasher to wash a lesser load only in the top tray.
It is still more economical to wash a full load as the machine still operates many elements regardless of load.
Noise Nearly all modern units have been built for quiet operation.
As is usual, the more expensive the machine, the more quietly it runs.
As a general guide, around 50 db or lower is generally held to be an acceptable noise level.
Programmes and Temperature Every dishwasher offers a regular programme.
Almost all machines additionally have a rinse-only along with a further dedicates cycle using lower temperatures.
The maximum temperature is around 55°C (although the drying cycle in a few dishwashers will exceed this).
An important point to remember is that bringing the temperature down from 65°C to 55°C reduces energy consumption in the region of 25%.
Reliability When taking into account total costs, it is worth bearing in mind that although cheaper makes may be cheaper to buy they may require more engineer time and replacement parts and may not be as reliable as 'better' makes.
Cheaper makes may therefore actually cost more over time.
Timer Function If you have 'off-peak' electricity, you may wish to consider a dishwasher which incorporates a delay function or timing function.
This means that the machine can be asked to wait until a set time before starting the wash, reducing energy consumption and your electricity costs.
Water Supply Both heating and water are important costs so a dishwasher that uses less water is preferable.
many dishwashers can be connected to either the cold or the hot water supply.
Connection to the cold connection is better because water only needs to be heated in the unit during the washing cycle and final rinse - but bear in mind heating the water increases the cycle.
In contrast, when you attach to the hot water supply, the machine requires hot water with all cycle elements - even rinsing and pre-washing.
Water Softener Purchasers in hard water areas will be used to seeing calcium stains on glass-ware and cutlery.
Many current units have a built-in water softener, which uses iodine-free salt.
More advanced offerings may include an electronically controlled water softener which is activated when needed.
Additional Features and Functions Functions vary depending upon the manufacturer, model and cost.
Functions include vertically adjustable upper trays; special holders; and other safety options.
For advice on fully integrated dishwashers this is a great site.