Kitchen · Midwest
Cost to run a dishwasher in South Dakota
At South Dakota’s average residential rate of 15.15¢ per kWh, a dishwasher drawing 1200W for 1 hour a day, at a 50% duty cycle, costs about $2.77 per 30.44 use days. Change the numbers below to match how you actually use yours.
Dishwasher electricity cost calculator
Use watts and running time, or enter energy from a label, meter or completed load. Your inputs stay on this device.
Enter a number within each field’s limits to calculate your cost.
Your estimated energy cost
219 kWh across 365 use days per year
Power mode includes your selected duty cycle. The monthly figure assumes 30.44 use days; the annual total uses your selected use days. These are estimates at the entered rate.
Energy charges only. Fixed utility fees, purchase, installation and maintenance are excluded. See the calculation method and sources.
Why the cost differs in South Dakota
South Dakota has the 17th cheapest residential electricity of the 50 US states and Washington, DC we track, at 15.15¢ per kWh against a national average of 18.16¢. That is -16.6% compared with the national figure. South Dakota combines Missouri River hydroelectric generation with growing wind capacity, holding rates well below average across a small, dispersed population. Retail service is regulated. Winters are severe and long, so heating is the dominant seasonal load, and the cheap rate makes electric heating more viable here than in most of the country.
For this appliance specifically, the difference works out to a saving of $6.59 a year against what the same dishwasher would cost at the national average rate. Run the identical appliance in Hawaii and it would cost $103 a year; in Nevada it would cost $27.86. That spread of $75.47 is entirely down to location.
Reducing use by 100 kWh would save $15.15 in energy charges at South Dakota's average rate, compared with $18.16 at the US average. Whether a replacement appliance pays for itself also depends on its purchase price and the energy it actually saves.
Use the energy and delivery price that applies to your own utility plan in South Dakota. If your plan has time-of-use prices, calculate each period separately or use a rate weighted by the electricity used in each period. Fixed monthly fees are outside this appliance energy-cost estimate.
| Location | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota this page | 15.15¢ | $2.77 | $33.18 |
| US average | 18.16¢ | $3.32 | $39.77 |
| Nevada cheapest state | 12.72¢ | $2.32 | $27.86 |
| Hawaii most expensive | 47.18¢ | $8.62 | $103 |
South Dakota electricity rate trend
Rates in South Dakota have moved from 14.68¢ to 15.15¢ per kWh between September 2025 and August 2026. The national residential average changed +3.4% from the same month a year earlier.
2025-09 to 2026-08 · cents per kWh
About running a dishwasher
Dishwasher running cost depends on complete-cycle energy, the selected wash and drying options, and your electricity rate. Use measured kWh per finished load or your model's annual EnergyGuide figure with its stated assumptions. Separately supplied hot-water energy needs its own accounting.
How we worked this out
The arithmetic is simple and we would rather show it than hide it. Divide watts by 1,000 to get kilowatts, multiply by hours of use and by the duty cycle to get kilowatt-hours, then multiply by your rate:
1200W ÷ 1000 × 1h × 50% = 0.600 kWh/day × 15.15¢ = $0.091 per day
One honest caveat: South Dakota’s figure is a state average published by the EIA. Your own utility’s tariff, any time-of-use pricing, fixed monthly service charges and local taxes all shift the real number. Put your actual per-kWh rate into the calculator above for a figure that reflects your bill.
How to estimate your dishwasher electricity use
For electricity cost per load, multiply complete-cycle kWh by your price in dollars per kWh. An illustrative 0.9 kWh cycle at $0.20/kWh costs $0.18. This is an arithmetic example, not a typical dishwasher measurement. Use the same programme, drying options and measurement boundary when comparing loads.
Choose the right dishwasher energy reading
- For a finished wash and dry, use Energy per use / load. Enter the kWh recorded over that complete programme, loads per active week and active weeks per year. Include drying and any extra rinse you are comparing; a rinse-only reading is not a finished-load measurement.
- For an EnergyGuide estimate, use Annual energy (kWh). Enter the annual electricity figure printed for your exact model and reprice it using your tariff. Keep the label's use and water-heating assumptions; an annual test figure is not a measurement of each programme you might select.
- For a dedicated reading over several days, use Metered energy (kWh). Subtract a cumulative meter's start from its end and enter the full elapsed days. That reading includes the powered modes inside its boundary, so do not add the same standby or cycle energy again.
- Check the hot-water boundary. A measurement of the dishwasher's own electrical supply covers its internal electrical use, including any powered heating and drying during that measurement. It does not measure electricity or gas used by a separate water heater supplying hot water. Add that energy separately only when the original figure excludes it.
Enter your readings in the calculator →
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Model families printed on the label | Whirlpool WDPS8024S*** and WDTS8024S*** |
| Estimated yearly electricity use | 270 kWh |
| Use stated in the label notes | Four wash loads a week |
| Printed cost with an electric water heater | $38/year, using the label's 14 cents/kWh |
| Printed cost with a natural gas water heater | $27/year, using the label's electricity and gas prices |
| Electric-water-heater illustration at 20 cents/kWh | 270 kWh × $0.20 = $54/year, or $4.50/month |
Source: Whirlpool label W11750679A, US page, linked below. Its gas-price assumption is $1.21 per therm. The 20-cent rate is our illustration, not a current national average. In Annual energy mode, enter 270 and a rate of 20 to reproduce $54/year. This retains the label assumptions; it is not a measured result for your home or the 0.9 kWh cycle example above. Do not treat the printed $27 gas-water-heater estimate as an electricity-only amount.
Comparing wash cycles and drying options
This calculator prices the electricity you enter. Water and sewer charges, detergent, purchase, installation, repairs and separately supplied fuel are additional costs. A lower-energy setting still needs to meet the cleaning requirements for your load.
- A shorter programme is not automatically cheaper. Whirlpool's cycle guide explains that quick washes can use more water, energy and heat to finish sooner. Compare complete-cycle kWh for the same cleaning task and drying result; cycle names and available options vary by model.
- Compare equivalent loads and soil levels using programmes suitable for the dishes. Sensor cycles can adjust operation to the load. ENERGY STAR recommends running full loads when possible and scraping food rather than pre-rinsing; do not convert that advice into a fixed saving for every household.
- Include the selected drying option in each measurement. Do not assume that a programme called air dry has no electrical use anywhere in the wash or drying process. Follow the model instructions for its drying and door-opening features.
- Annual ratings retain standardized cycle and standby assumptions. Dividing annual kWh by a guessed number of loads does not establish the energy of a particular eco, quick or intensive programme. For a measured cycle input, do not apply another duty-cycle discount.
- If only using watts and hours, use representative electrical input over the selected period. The heating element's maximum watts multiplied by the entire programme duration assumes that draw continues throughout; it is not a complete-cycle measurement.
Calculation and data sources
Daily kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × duty cycle ÷ 100. Multiply kWh by your rate in dollars per kWh to get cost. The wattage, hours and duty cycle above are editable example assumptions, not EIA measurements of this appliance.
The US and state average prices come from the EIA for August 2026. A state average is a starting point; your bill is the better source for your tariff.
- EIA: US average electricity prices by sector
- EIA: residential electricity prices by state
- ENERGY STAR: dishwasher cycles, loading and energy-label guidance
- ENERGY STAR: dishwasher energy metrics and test assumptions
- Whirlpool: wash cycles and drying options
- Whirlpool WDPS8024S / WDTS8024S EnergyGuide, W11750679A (PDF, page 1)
- Our assumptions and calculation method
Questions about dishwasher running costs
How much electricity does a dishwasher use?
In this example, 1200 watts at a 50% duty cycle uses 0.600 kWh per scheduled hour. At 1.00 hours per day, that is 0.600 kWh per use day. Your model and operating conditions can differ.
How much does it cost to run a dishwasher for an hour?
The default example costs $0.091 per scheduled hour at the South Dakota average of 15.15¢/kWh for August 2026. This includes the selected duty cycle. Enter your watts, duty cycle and electricity price for your own estimate.
Does the annual cost assume I use it every day?
The reference tables use 365 days at their displayed watts-and-hours schedule; monthly figures use 30.44 days. They are illustrative schedules, not measured dishwasher loads. For complete-cycle energy, use Energy per use / load with your loads per active week and active weeks per year. Its monthly figure is annual cost divided by 12. Annual energy mode retains the assumptions behind your entered annual figure.
Why does electricity running cost vary by state?
For August 2026, the EIA state averages range from 12.72¢/kWh in Nevada to 47.18¢/kWh in Hawaii. Equal electricity use costs more at a higher rate. Your utility tariff can differ from the state average.
How much does a dishwasher cost per load?
Multiply the kWh for a complete wash and dry by your electricity price. For an illustrative 0.9 kWh at $0.20/kWh, the electricity is $0.18 per load. At four loads a week for 52 active weeks, that is $37.44 per year or $3.12 per average month. These example figures exclude any energy or costs outside the measurement.
Is a one-hour or eco wash always cheaper?
Programme duration and names alone cannot establish cost. Quick programmes can use more heat and energy to finish faster, and sensor programmes can vary with the load. Use your model's documented or measured complete-cycle kWh for comparable cleaning and drying, then multiply by the applicable tariff.
Does my dishwasher meter include hot-water heating?
A meter on the dishwasher's electrical supply records the appliance electricity inside that boundary. It does not measure a separate household water heater. Check any label or specification before adding water-heating energy, because a test-based estimate may already account for it.
Can I divide EnergyGuide annual kWh by my loads to get cycle kWh?
That calculation does not measure your chosen programme. Annual ratings use standardized operating and standby assumptions, while your wash, drying choices and load count may differ. Use the annual figure to reprice that annual estimate, or obtain a complete-cycle reading for a per-load estimate.
Is a dishwasher cheaper than washing by hand?
Compare the same amount of dishes cleaned to a suitable result. Count dishwasher electricity, separately supplied hot-water energy where excluded, and water charges for both methods. Handwashing technique and hot-water use matter; comparing dishwasher plug electricity with the sink's water use alone leaves out part of the cost.