How Much Water Does A Bosch Dishwasher Use?

You’re probably aware that Bosch dishwashers are known for being ultra-quiet as opposed to other brands. However, have you ever wondered how much water the dishwasher uses per cycle?

On average, a Bosch dishwasher will use 3.15 gallons (11.92 liters) of water during each cycle. Compared to other brands that are Energy Star certified, which is around 3.2 gallons (12.11 liters), you can save quite a bit of water over time.

To find out how much water a Bosch dishwasher uses on average per cycle and how much water a dishwasher can potentially save, I invite you to continue reading on.

A Quick Look at Bosch Dishwashers

While Bosch has been in the home appliance game for over a century, it was only in 1964 when the German-based manufacturer began producing and distributing dishwashers. While Bosch isn’t mainly known for its dishwashers, the company certainly has a lot to offer in terms of high-quality features.

The one thing that makes Bosch dishwashers stand out among most of its competitors is their low-noise output. In fact, because they are so quiet, Bosch had to include an LED indicator, known as an InfoLight, to inform users whether or not their dishwashers are running.

Bosch dishwashers come in two sizing options—compact and standard. So, whether you have minimal space in your kitchen or want a machine that can wash dozens of bowls, plates, and platters at the same time, Bosch has a bit of something for everyone. You can take a look at Bosch’s wide variety of dishwashers on the company’s website.

How Much Water Does a Bosch Dishwasher Use?

While Bosch dishwashers stand out due to their low-noise output, there’s something else that consumers should know. Bosch dishwashers only use about 3.15 gallons (11.92 liters) of water per cycle. Now, that might sound like a lot, but let’s take that figure and put it into perspective.

Energy Star certification shows that a product meets a certain level in terms of resource efficiency, including water consumption. For a dishwasher to receive an Energy Star certification, it must use at most 5.5 gallons (20.82 liters) of water per load.

However, if we look at the industry average, the typical amount of water used for a single dishwasher cycle is around 3.2 gallons (12.11 liters) of water. So, in summary, a Bosch dishwasher, which can also be Energy Star certified, uses about 0.05 gallons (0.19 liters) of water less than most of its competition.

So, how much water will it use in the long term? The following table will show you how a Bosch dishwasher compares with the industry average over multiple cycles.

Cycles	Bosch (gallons)	Competition (gallons)	Difference (gallons)	Difference (liters)
1	3.15	3.20	0.05	0.19
2	6.30	6.40	0.10	0.38
3	9.45	9.60	0.15	0.57
4	12.60	12.80	0.20	0.76
5	15.75	16.00	0.25	0.95
10	31.50	32.00	0.50	1.89
15	47.25	48.00	0.75	2.84
20	63.00	64.00	1.00	3.79
40	126.00	128.00	2.00	7.57
50	157.50	160.00	2.50	9.46
60	189.00	192.00	3.00	11.36
80	252.00	256.00	4.00	15.14
100	315.00	320.00	5.00	18.93
150	472.50	480.00	7.50	28.39
200	630.00	640.00	10.00	37.85
260	819.00	832.00	13.00	49.21

Assuming a family of four runs a dishwasher five times a week over the course of 52 weeks (260 cycles per year), they could potentially save up to 13 gallons (49.21 liters) of water annually.

And seeing as how a dishwasher has an average lifespan of between six and 16 years, that means the same family could potentially save between 78 and 208 gallons (295.26 and 787.37 liters) of water throughout the lifetime of their Bosch dishwasher!

Do Bosch Dishwashers Actually Save Water?

So, it’s clear that a Bosch dishwasher uses less water than many of its competitors, especially when comparing their long-term usage ratings. However, how does it compare to washing dishes by hand? Do Bosch dishwashers actually save water?

Yes, a dishwasher, regardless of its brand, will use less water as opposed to washing dishes by hand.

To many people, washing dishes by hand might sound more virtuous or make them feel better about refraining from using electricity. However, if you look at the average amount of water you use to wash dishes without a washing machine—27 gallons per load (102.21 liters—your Bosch dishwasher can, by far, reduce your water bills.

Of course, it ultimately boils down to how many dishes you have piled in your sink at a time, as well as whether or not you leave the water running while applying soap to every dish before rinsing. But even then, seeing as how the typical kitchen sink faucet has a water flow rate of around 2.2 gallons (8.33 liters) of water per minute, leaving your faucet running for only two minutes will already use more water than a dishwasher will in an entire cycle.

How Much Electricity Does a Dishwasher Use?

Now, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “If washing by hand uses more water, at least I can save money by reducing how much electricity I use.” While washing by hand doesn’t require electricity, the cost of powering a dishwasher is negligible at best.

The typical amount of electricity to run a dishwasher is between 0.526 and 1.256 kWh per cycle, giving us an average of 1.17 kWh. But if we take a look at Bosch dishwashers, they only use about 0.88 kWh of energy per cycle. Per 2020 reports, the retail price of electricity was about 11.82¢ per kWh.

So, the following table should help you discover how much electricity you’re actually using to run a Bosch dishwasher or its average competitor.

Cycles	Bosch (in $)	Competitor (in $)	Difference (in $)
1	0.10	0.14	0.03
2	0.21	0.28	0.07
3	0.31	0.41	0.10
4	0.42	0.55	0.14
5	0.52	0.69	0.17
10	1.04	1.38	0.34
15	1.56	2.07	0.51
20	2.08	2.77	0.69
40	4.16	5.53	1.37
50	5.20	6.91	1.71
60	6.24	8.30	2.06
80	8.32	11.06	2.74
100	10.40	13.83	3.43
150	15.60	20.74	5.14
200	20.80	27.66	6.86
260	27.04	35.96	8.91