The dishwasher’s habit of putting cash on your bills — and how to avoid it

WITH energy bills rising, you may want to break a dishwasher habit.

The average family bill is £2,500 a year, despite the Government’s Energy Price Guarantee rebate.

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This is set to rise to £3,000 from April.

But there are a number of ways you can cut costs, and some are pretty simple too.

You might not believe it, but pre-washing dishes and cutlery before putting them in the dishwasher can add to your bills unnecessarily.

Forbes Advisor UK energy expert Kevin Pratt said this can happen in two ways.

“Washing dishes has two potential costs — energy to heat the water and the water itself, although running faucets won’t register unless you have a water meter,” he said.

Aside from just throwing your crockery and cutlery in the dishwasher right away, there are other ways you can mitigate those extra costs.

Kevin added, “The most efficient way would be to rinse the plates in a bowl of cold water.”

Breaking the habit could save you around £1 on your bills every year, said Forbes Advisor UK.

How else can you reduce dishwasher costs?

Besides avoiding pre-washing dishes, there are other ways to save money when using your dishwasher.

It is best to wait for a full charge, as the device is most efficient when it is fully loaded.

Figures from Magnet, which sells kitchen appliances, previously told The Sun that halving your number of dishwasher cycles could save you around £196 a year.

If you have the budget, you could invest in a newer and more energy efficient dishwasher.

Older dishwashers tend to be more expensive to run because they are less energy efficient.

A new energy ranking system was launched in March 2021 to help homeowners determine the most efficient appliances to buy.

Household appliances are ranked alphabetically from A to G, with A being the most energy efficient and G being the least energy efficient.

So it might be worth going for a dishwasher that is as close to the A rating as possible.

Which? estimates that an energy efficient dishwasher can save you around £544 over 10 years.

However, be aware that a new Class A dishwasher could cost around £250 or even more, so it could be a few years before you get your money back.

What other help with energy bills can I get?

Several utilities participate in “flexible-demand” services, where customers are paid to turn off their devices at specific times.

The scheme was devised by National Grid ESO and is intended to reduce pressure on the energy grid and prevent blackouts.

The National Grid ESO conducted its first “live service” on January 23rd.

A number of energy providers are subscribed to the service – you should contact yours to see if this is the case.

In addition, millions of households should be about to receive a £400 energy rebate.

The discount was split into six monthly installments that began last October. All six should be paid by March.

In addition, you may receive help from the Budget Support Fund.

The final £421million pot was shared between local councils, but what you’re entitled to depends on where you live.

As a rule, the assistance is granted to households with low income or low social benefits.

If you think you might be eligible, you should contact your local authority.

You can find out who your local council is by using the government’s Find My Local Council tool.

Some utilities offer grants to customers who cannot pay their bills.

These include British Gas, EDF, Scottish Power and Octopus Energy.

British Gas’ scheme pays out a maximum of £1,500 to customers who are really struggling.

You can get help even if you are not a customer.

Do you have a money problem that needs clarification? Email money-sm@news.co.uk