Should you use a dishwasher or wash up by hand?
Although your dishwasher uses electricity, you need to heat water in order to handwash, and you would typically use two and a half times more water handwashing. But there again, that figure depends on how efficient (and new) your dishwasher is. And before you put dishes in the dishwasher do you scrape off remains, or rinse them off? This can dramatically increase water usage. Your dishwasher will use harsher, and less eco-friendly detergents, and the grey water will be piped away down the drain – handwashing gives you the option of using friendlier washing liquids which can be put onto the garden after use. So there is no easy answer!