Recent studies into their water and energy efficiencies have found that dishwashers scrub up rather well, writes Sarah Pickette.

You probably already acknowledge the dishwasher as one of the great time-savers of modern life, but are you aware that it can also save energy and water?

In recent years, manufacturers have put millions into research and development to gain better efficiencies for dishwashers. "We have reduced the water consumption in our dishwashers by 85 per cent in the past 30 years," says Louise Paynter, Product Manager Cooling and Dishwashers for Miele Australia. The latest Miele models use as little as seven litres of water - the equivalent of filling a standard kitchen sink to halfway.

The bettering of water consumption can be attributed in part to advances in sensor technology, says Robin Werth, Manager Dishwashing & Refrigeration for Bosch. "Our ActiveWater dishwashers constantly monitor wash performance to ensure the exact amount of water and heat required to thoroughly and hygienically wash and dry dishes is used," he says. Sensors also check the cleanliness of the pre-rinse and final rinse water so the machine can reuse that water to reduce overall consumption.

A 2009 report by market research agency Colmar Brunton found that Australian homes could each save almost 8000 litres of water annually - the equivalent of 66 eight-minute showers - by using their dishwashers. It also found that handwashing uses up to five times more water and 60 per cent more energy (compared with a 4-star energy-rated dishwasher).

The data also shows that using a dishwasher can save you energy by heating only the required amount of water, and heating it more efficiently than most hot-water services can.

A study by environmental auditors URS Corporation, published in 2011 in the International Journal of Consumer Studies, compared the energy use and carbon emissions created by handwashing to using a dishwasher in six European countries, taking into account the energy-generation, hot-water systems and consumer behaviour. It factored in the embodied energy associated with manufacturing and transporting dishwashers and made allowances for the fact that not everyone uses their eco setting - and still dishwashers emerged as more energy efficient than handwashing.

Ultimately though, you must maximise the efficiencies of your machine. To get the best performance don't pre-rinse, choose the eco setting and only run when your dishwasher is full.

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