I’m so terrified about en...

WITH energy costs set to hit record highs, cutting down on your dishwasher use could be a handy way to save.

Here's how much it costs to run your dishwasher.

How much am I paying to run my dishwasher?

The average dishwasher uses 1.5 kilowatt hours of energy (kWh) on a standard setting, according to USwitch.

Setting your dishwasher to an eco setting will use around half that, or 0.73kWh.

That means one regular run a day will cost you £1.98 per week - or 96.6p a week on eco-mode.

Over a year, that's £102.96 on standard mode or £50.23 on eco-mode.

And if you're needing to do two washes a day, those costs double to £205.92 and £100.46, respectively.

Measured by current electricity prices, the running cost of a dishwasher is around 18.9p/kWh.

That doesn't sound like much - and compared to an electric heater, it's less than one-third.

But with the cost of living rising and inflation at its highest for a decade, cost-cutting at every corner could be sensible.

Meanwhile, slow cookers use around 1.3kWh while at work, a similar amount of electricity to a dishwasher running a non-eco wash.

And according to Energy Helpline, keeping your central heating on all night will cost you an extra £10.80 a day.

Is it cheaper to wash by hand?

Modern dishwashers use much less water than washing by hand - so they should be cheaper to run and better for the environment.

A test by Which? in 2020 found the best dishwashers use just a tenth as much water as hand-washing - while cheaper appliances use around half.

On average, washing your dishes by hand uses four times as much warm water as putting the same number of items in the dishwasher.

To maximise the efficiency of your dishwasher and cut costs, just make sure you fill it up before you get it going.

How to get help with bills

If you're struggling with utility costs at the moment, it might be reassuring to know you're not the only one - far from it.

Your first step should definitely be talking to your supplier.

Do this before you run out of money or your bills start stacking up as failed payments from a direct debit account could affect your credit score.

Many of the big suppliers have support schemes for customers in dire straits - and in some cases you don't need to be a customer to access emergency funds.

That's true of the British Gas Energy Trust. Here are some more options worth looking into:

It's worth getting debt advice from the likes of Citizens Advice beforehand, as your applications is much likelier to be successful that way.

And if you’re having trouble filling in the application, Charisgrants.com can help guide you through it.

Local councils are also providing £500m via the Household Support Fund to struggling families in the form of supermarket vouchers and cash payments.

Make sure you apply for support funding like the Cold Weather Payments and the Warm Home Discount if you’re eligible.