Model
Criterion CDW7TCM*
Rank #377 means 376 of the 709 dishwasher models we track cost less to run each year; the 56th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 56% of those models.
What does the Criterion CDW7TCM* cost to run per year?
The Criterion CDW7TCM* holds rank #377 of 709 on running cost, at about $45 a year, an unremarkable but typical figure for the class. It uses 21.8% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $57/yr to run, a saving of roughly $12 a year. Size-adjusted, this model sits close to the class median on efficiency, ahead of 56% of dishwasher models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 14 place settings (the class spans 2 to 18), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Criterion CDW5TCM* at $45/yr runs a little cheaper and the Criterion CDW7TCT1S at $45/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A dishwasher typically stays in service for somewhere around 9 years; over that span, the Criterion CDW7TCM*'s $45/yr adds up to roughly $405 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Black+Decker BDW400MS.
By the numbers
The Criterion CDW7TCM* normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $45/yr, here is what the Criterion CDW7TCM* adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Criterion CDW7TCM* costs about $450. That is roughly $120 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $570 over the same ten years.
How the Criterion CDW7TCM* compares
The dishwasher class we track runs from $15 to $45 a year. At $45/yr, it runs about $1 a year above the class median of $44, and it is about $30 a year more than the cheapest dishwasher to run at $15. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $57/yr, the Criterion CDW7TCM* uses 21.8% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 14 place settings, the Criterion CDW7TCM* is a mid-size dishwasher for its class, which spans 2 to 18 place settings with a median of 14 place settings, right in the middle of the capacity range, so capacity is roughly a wash compared with the rest of the class.
- Place-setting capacity. Place-setting capacity is the main driver of how much water a cycle has to heat, and heating that water is most of a dishwasher's electricity use.
- Water heating. Most dishwashers have a booster heater that raises incoming water to sanitizing temperature; this heating step, not the pump or motor, accounts for most of a cycle's electricity use.
- Cycle length and drying method. Heavy or sanitize cycles run longer and hotter than a normal or eco cycle, and heated-dry options cost more to run than air-dry or condensation drying.
Common questions
Is the Criterion CDW7TCM* cheap to run?
Roughly, yes. Its $45/yr figure is close to the class median, ranking #377 of 709, neither a bargain nor a splurge on running cost.
How much does the Criterion CDW7TCM* cost per month?
About $3.71 a month, which is the $45 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 240 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $45 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Criterion CDW7TCM* for its size?
56th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1062598_CDW7TCM*_081320240219344_3261182View certified dishwasher listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Criterion and CDW7TCM* are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.