Newest dishwashers save energy, water
Q: My dishwasher is 13 years old. I have compared new dishwasher features. Which are the most efficient ones to consider and is hand-washing a good alternative?
A: Using an automatic dishwasher is typically more efficient than the way most people hand wash dishes. If you take your time and are very miserly with the water usage, hand washing can be more efficient. I have tested it in my own home. I use a Delta spray kitchen faucet with touch control. This allows me to minimize water usage when rinsing the washed dishes.
The overall energy savings when hand washing is only realized during winter. I leave the warm sudsy water in the sink until it cools off. This heat is given off to the kitchen air, so the heating system has to run less. This is also wise to do when taking a hot bath during winter.
During summer, I do not hand wash dishes to reduce the heat and humidity buildup indoors. It can actually be a double loss during summer because your air conditioner has to run longer to remove the excess heat and humidity.
Your old dishwasher probably does need to be replaced because it has already survived longer than the typical dishwasher. No matter which new dishwasher you select, you can be certain it will use less electricity and hot water than your old one. The vast majority of dishwashers made today exceed the EnergyStar efficiency standards. Over the life of the new dishwasher, the energy and water savings as compared to your old one can payback its initial cost.
Another key advantage of newer dishwashers is they are much quieter than older ones even when they were new. This is accomplished by better motor and pump designs and higher levels of insulation both for better efficiency and for noise reduction. Layers of insulation are placed around the pump assembly and the walls of the cabinet and door. I just installed a new stainless steel dishwasher in my own home and it is significantly quieter and the cycles are shorter.
The majority of the cost of using a dishwasher is for the energy to heat the water. If the new dishwasher design consumes less water, less energy is needed to heat the smaller volume of water. A portion of this energy is used by the primary water heater and the rest by an internal heater in the dishwasher. In many areas of the country, the water consumption is as significant an environmental issue as energy consumption. Always compare the overall water consumption specifications for an average load cycle among the models.
Energy efficiency is important, but the most important feature is how well it cleans dishes. If it does not clean well, people tend to run it on the heavy cycle when normal will do or they hand rinse the dishes first. Rinsing can use more than 10 extra gallons of water and some people even use hot water for this. With a good dishwasher, just hand scraping of the dirty dishes should be adequate.
The best dishwashers use a two-pump design in the bottom of the tank. One small pump is used for spraying the dishes and another small one is used to drain the unit. Many models still use a single reversing pump which sprays in one rotation and drains in the other. Two smaller pumps require a smaller water reservoir but the efficiency differences between one- and two-pump models has narrowed considerably.
Top-of-the-line dishwashers offer many cycle settings to fine tune the process to the cleaning needs of the specific load. This is a nice feature, but some of this is also for marketing advantages. If you are on a limited budget, most families can get by with three basic cycle: light, medium, heavy (pots/pans).
Newer electronic controls offer greater convenience and efficiency. Hidden digital electronic controls look good when the door is closed, but you cannot watch the progress of the cycle and see the time left. Partially hidden controls are another option. The dishwasher I selected has exposed controls, which I find easier to see and use.
Automatic dirt sensors measure the turbidity (cloudiness) of the water to determine when the dishes are clean and how long to run the cycles. There are several technologies to accomplish this and they function pretty well. A filter option strains the water inside the dishwasher to remove food particles. Self-cleaning ones use a grinder, but these may increase the noise level. A rinse-hold feature uses only two gallons of water to rinse the dishes if you do not plan to run the dishwasher for a long while.
The following companies offer efficient dishwashers: Asko, (800) 898-1879, www.us.asko.com; Bosch Appliances, (800) 944-2904, www.bosch-home.com; Dacor, (800) 793-0093, www.dacor.com; KitchenAid, (800) 422-1230, www.kitchenaid.com; and Miele Appliances, (888) 996-4353, www.mieleusa.com.
Q: I have a central air conditioner. Over winter, the outdoor unit gets covered with leaves, twigs and snow. I was wondering if it makes sense to cover the outdoor unit, and if so, how should I do it?
A: It generally is not necessary to cover the central air conditioner outdoor condenser unit. The components of the unit are designed to handle bad winter weather conditions. It is the same as heat pumps, which must run year-round.
If you have a lot of foliage near it which drop leaves, you may want to cover it so you do not have to clean it out each spring. Use a loose cover just over the top with much ventilation so condensation does not form under it.
• Contact James Dulley at 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.