Euro Appliances: Keep It Clean and Green

Investing in a new dishwasher can be exciting, however, with the ever-rising cost of utilities, it has become a budgeting imperative to choose an efficient model. Jon Molyneaux from leading dishwasher and appliance manufacturer, Miele, provides an outline of some of the most important considerations to take into account when making your purchase decision.

It is easy to get excited about purchasing a new dishwasher – after all, it is arguably one of the most helpful appliances in the home. Imagine having to do the dishes by hand every night, or the thought of doing any entertaining at home without one! Dishwashers clean and sterilise your dishes at a touch of a button – keeping your kitchen looking good, and your pots, pans, cutlery, crockery, and glassware hygienically clean and in tip-top shape.

However, with the high cost of electricity and water, Jon Molyneaux from Miele says that it is imperative to select a dishwasher that is not only proficient and good looking, but one that is also energy- and water-efficient: “Not only does this make sense for your wallet, as it will ensure huge savings over time, but it is also good for the environment. Over and above this, super-efficient appliances such as those from Miele, dovetail beautifully with solar power installations that help beat any loadshedding woes.”

Here are Jon’s top considerations for choosing an energy and water efficient dishwasher:

1.) Efficiency and sustainability

The easiest way to ascertain the efficiency of a dishwasher, is to look at its energy rating, and the most reliable is the EU energy rating. Since 2021, EU legislators have ratcheted up the criteria for the energy label to such a degree that even the most economic models under the old regime fell short of the new top A energy efficiency rating. However, Jon notes that today’s best-in-market dishwashers should still offer you an A-rating, even with the new criteria: “Miele for example, has managed to reduce the energy consumption of its dishwashers by 44% over the past 20 years, and today it is still a whopping 10% below the threshold value for the top A+++ energy efficiency rating!”

Jon explains that Miele achieves these incredibly efficient results thanks to EcoPower technology and engineering: “Miele’s dishwashers boast an innovative water feed that uses less water (only 6 litres in the Automatic programme), an efficient filtration system, and additional insulation. They can also be connected to a hot water supply with a temperature of up to 60°C. Miele’s SolarSave programme is ideal for households that have a solar heat system, a heat pump, or a gas heating system, because it only uses the temperature of the already heated, incoming water. Thanks to the intelligent programme management feature you can achieve a sensationally low electricity consumption of 0.05kWh per wash cycle.”

2.) Programmes

Any dishwasher worth its salt should offer a variety of useful programmes to suite several dishwashing needs – from gentle to intense cleaning. However, for efficiency, perhaps the most important programme is the eco cycle, explains Jon: “Miele dishwashers offer an economical Eco program that ensures maximum water and energy savings without compromising on perfect cleaning results. The EcoFeedback functionality is also very useful – as soon as you select a programme, the display tells you how much water and electricity the appliance is likely to consume, and when the cycle is complete, it displays the actual usage.”

3.) Detergents

The dishwasher provides the mechanics of cleaning dishes, but it’s the detergent that provides the magic. Modern dishwasher detergents are designed to clean the grime from dishes without rinsing them prior to cleaning – this saves a lot of time, effort, energy, and water. Jon elaborates: “Miele’s enzymatic detergents work better when they cling to food residues. And the combination of water pressure and enzymes in the detergent wears the food remnants down to enable them to pass easily through the filter and down the drain.”

In this regard, Jon says that Miele has set another benchmark for greater sustainability due to its AutoDos dispenser system with integrated PowerDisk: “This system is a world-first automatic dishwasher detergent dispensing system. Depending on the selected programme, powder granulate with special ingredients is automatically dispensed – exactly the right quantity at exactly the right time.”

This gives users the power to reduce detergent consumption, without compromising on the best possible end results. With Miele’s PowerDisk, you no longer have to worry about your dishwasher having sufficient detergent every time you start a programme, as the innovative dispensing system with PowerDisk contains enough powder granulate for approximately one month. No fuss, no waste – just convenience and excellent cleaning results!

4.) Connected & smart

Connectivity can help you use your dishwasher more efficiently. All of Miele’s G7000 range of dishwashers for example, can be connected to the Internet via WiFi and controlled via the Miele app from a mobile device, as well as via Amazon’s voice-control assistant, Alexa. Jon notes that this allows the user to start and stop their dishwasher from anywhere, activate programmes and options from their smartphones, check detergent levels and even order detergent online.

He explains that being able to programme your dishwasher is another useful energy-saving functionality: “With the AutoStart function, your Miele dishwasher can be programmed to start at the same time every day. If the dishwasher is not opened between two scheduled cycles, with no new crockery added, the start of the scheduled cycle will be automatically delayed. This is especially useful if your home runs on solar energy, as you can programme the dishwasher to switch on when the sun is at its highest and you are usually at work. If you don’t have a solar system, but you do have loadshedding, you can programme the dishwasher to come on during non-peak times, once the scheduled loadshedding is over.”

5.) Durability and longevity

Of course, the efficiency of any appliance is not just in its operation – it also lies in the machine’s overall carbon footprint. To this end, Miele appliances fair exceptionally well, as they are designed, manufactured, and tested to last for a minimum of 20 years, which is far greater than the average 7-year lifespan of most appliances, says Jon: “Owning a dishwasher that has been built to last means that you have invested in real quality. This will not only save you money in the long run, but it is also a far better choice for the environment.”

Miele – offering quality ahead of its time! To find out more about Miele’s amazing range of dishwashers, visit www.miele.co.za.