Model
Smeg DW8601X
Rank #241 means 240 of the 709 dishwasher models we track cost less to run each year; the 57th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 57% of those models.
What does the Smeg DW8601X cost to run per year?
At about $43 a year, the Smeg DW8601X undercuts most dishwasher models we track on running cost, rank #241 of 709. It uses 23.8% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $57/yr to run, a saving of roughly $14 a year. Efficiency-wise, once size is accounted for, it sits right around the class median, ahead of 57% of the 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 Smeg DW8601 at $43/yr runs a little cheaper and the Smeg STU1822 at $43/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 Smeg DW8601X's $43/yr adds up to roughly $387 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Smeg DW8601.
By the numbers
The Smeg DW8601X 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 $43/yr, here is what the Smeg DW8601X adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Smeg DW8601X costs about $430. That is roughly $140 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $570 over the same ten years.
How the Smeg DW8601X compares
The dishwasher class we track runs from $15 to $45 a year. At $43/yr, it runs about $1 a year cheaper than the class median of $44, and it is about $28 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 Smeg DW8601X uses 23.8% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 14 place settings, the Smeg DW8601X is a mid-size dishwasher for its class, which spans 2 to 18 place settings with a median of 14 place settings, neither the size advantage of a small unit nor the size penalty of a large one applies here, so its running cost is a fairer test of efficiency alone.
- 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 Smeg DW8601X cheap to run?
Yes. Its $43/yr running cost puts it at rank #241 of 709, below what most dishwasher models we track cost to run.
How much does the Smeg DW8601X cost per month?
About $3.62 a month, which is the $43 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: 234 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $43 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Smeg DW8601X for its size?
57th percentile once size is factored in, a fairly typical result for the class.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_92281_DW8601X_012020261743277_6003285View certified dishwasher listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Smeg and DW8601X 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.