In the Kitchen: Dishwashers and Hand Washing Tips

• Approximately 5-15% of household water consumption occurs in the kitchen for cleaning.
• A running kitchen tap can use approximately 15-20 litres of water per minute. For Tamworth residents in 2012, this could cost approximately $1.50/hour. A tap left dripping for a couple of hours every day could end up costing around $135/month. Hence a lot of water and money can be saved by avoiding running taps unnecessarily. Click here for some suggestions of how this can be achieved.
• The dishwasher is a very commonly used appliance in Australian kitchens. In 2008, 45% of Australian homes had a dishwasher of which almost a third used their dishwashers daily while the remaining owners used their dishwashers once a week. Older style dishwashers use a lot of water and energy, however continual technological improvements mean that the modern dishwasher can use approximately 20- 50 litres of water per cycle which is less than many of us use when hand washing dishes. Click here for a list of some good tips to follow to help get the most efficient water and energy use from your dishwasher.
• Before buying a new dishwasher, spend some time researching into models with high energy and water efficiency.  Click here for some tips when buying a new dishwasher.

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