We are buying a new fridge (our really, really old one is broken). So our new one will be energy star.
This got me thinking about our dishwasher, that doesn't work very well, so I either do things by hand or wash them 2x. It works better some days. Would it be best to replace this dishwasher with a new energy star one although I have to throw something out that isn't exactly broken?

Also, the new dishwashers say they use less energy than doing dishes by hand. Can that really be true? I don't mind doing dishes by hand, but if this is true, then it would be smarter to use a dishwasher AND I would save time.
We have a gas water heater. I don't know if that makes a difference. Do these dishwasher heat water themselves or get hot water from our water heater??

I also have to add that it has been extremely frusterating finding a "normal" sized fridge to replace our old one. Fridges are so much larger than they once were! Then we find a small fridge and find out they (manufacturer) don't bother to apply for energy star ratings because the smaller fridges don't use as much energy as the big fridges. Ya, well, Regardless of the size, I want it to be as efficient as possible, dugh!

-renee

I know my dishwasher didn't heat the water, but maybe some do.

I think you still have to be careful about that energy star rating. A long time ago, I saw some news report about how some appliances are rated that way, but really don't meet the standards. Sorry, I can't remember any other details.

Kevin

I do use hot water to hand wash, and gloves. Our stove is gas and so is our water heater so heating the water on the stove wouldn't save money.

I assume they say dishwashers cost less to use than handwashing because we use alot of water to rinse the dishes when we wash them by hand?

Most new dishwashers do use less water than washing dishes by hand. Mine (an ASKO, from Sweden) uses less than five gallons to do a dishload. Given that a kitchen faucet can deliver 2.2 gallons per minute at full force in a house with strong water pressure, even using the water at half-flow in your house means every minute of running the faucet is at least a gallon of water. So you've got five minutes to wash a dishwasherload full of dishes. :-)

Most of the high-end (typically European) dishwashers also heat their own water. Some will heat water as hot as 170 degrees, allowing you to leave your water heater at a lower level.

"use less energy than doing dishes by hand"

If the poster is really asking about using less energy, washing dishes by hand can't be beat.