I am a housewife living in Denver. In a home with five family members, it often feels like I spend all day in the kitchen preparing three meals a day.

Especially during dinner time, after the whole family gathers to eat, the dishes pile up in the sink like a mountain.

At first, I did all the dishes by hand, but I started using a dishwasher a few months ago.

But then I suddenly thought, "How much electricity does this machine use if I use it every day?"

I wondered if my electric bill was piling up unnecessarily, so I decided to calculate it properly.

The dishwasher I use is a standard model commonly used in American households and is Energy Star certified.

According to the manufacturer's manual, it uses about 1.5kWh of electricity per cycle in the normal wash mode.

This is based on the regular evening wash mode, not the high-temperature drying or heavy wash modes.

Now, let's calculate the actual cost based on Denver's electric rates.

As of 2024, the average electric rate in the Denver area is about $0.16 per kWh. So the calculation goes like this:

• Daily electricity usage: 1.5kWh

• Daily electric bill: 1.5 × $0.16 = $0.24

• Monthly electric bill (based on 30 days): $0.24 × 30 = $7.20

Yes, that's right. Even if I run the dishwasher once every evening, the monthly electric bill is only $7.20. I initially thought it would be $15, but it turned out to be much cheaper than I expected.

Of course, areas with higher electric rates will incur more costs. I've heard that electricity is much more expensive in Los Angeles than in Denver, almost double.

In any case, doing the dishes in the evening with a dishwasher also reduces water usage. Most modern dishwashers use an average of 3-4 gallons (about 12-15 liters) of water per wash, while washing the same amount of dishes by hand would use two to three times more water. And hand washing also requires hot water, which adds to gas or electric costs.

To all the housewives like me who are struggling daily between busy parenting, work, and household chores, I want to say:

If you're hesitating due to concerns about electric bills, put those worries aside.

It's much cheaper than you think and provides much greater satisfaction.

Tonight's dishes? I just press one button now :)