Model
Smeg DW8630
Rank #63 means 62 of the 709 dishwasher models we track cost less to run each year; the 95th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 95% of those models.
What does the Smeg DW8630 cost to run per year?
Among the 709 dishwasher models we track, the Smeg DW8630's $41/yr running cost ranks it #63, comfortably in the cheap-to-run group. It uses 28.7% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $57/yr to run, a saving of roughly $16 a year. Its 95th size-adjusted efficiency percentile puts it in a small top tier of the class once capacity stops flattering the comparison. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 16 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 Bosch SHX78DC** at $40/yr runs a little cheaper and the Asko DBI364* at $41/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 DW8630's $41/yr adds up to roughly $369 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
By the numbers
The Smeg DW8630 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 $41/yr, here is what the Smeg DW8630 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 DW8630 costs about $410. That is roughly $160 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $570 over the same ten years.
How the Smeg DW8630 compares
The dishwasher class we track runs from $15 to $45 a year. At $41/yr, it runs about $3 a year cheaper than the class median of $44, and it is about $26 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 DW8630 uses 28.7% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 16 place settings, the Smeg DW8630 is a large dishwasher for its class, which spans 2 to 18 place settings with a median of 14 place settings, and larger dishwasher models generally cost more to run than smaller ones in the same class, simply because there is more to keep cold, spin, heat, or light.
- 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 DW8630 cheap to run?
Yes. Its $41/yr running cost puts it at rank #63 of 709, below what most dishwasher models we track cost to run.
How much does the Smeg DW8630 cost per month?
About $3.39 a month, which is the $41 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: 219 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $41 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Smeg DW8630 for its size?
95th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is a real factor in the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_92281_DW8630_10032025084624_1867029View certified dishwasher listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Smeg and DW8630 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.