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Guide to Warewashing & Janitorial Equipment
Calculating ROI on Your
Commercial Dishmachine
Investment
Investing in a new dishmachine is not just a capital expenditure — it’s an opportunity
to boost operational efficiency, reduce long-term costs, and improve environmental
performance. To truly understand the value of your investment, you need to look
beyond the price tag and evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO) over the life of the
equipment and there are 5 factors to consider:
1. Energy Savings Calculations
Modern ENERGY STAR®-rated dishmachines use significantly less energy than older
units, thanks to better insulation, optimized cycle design, and intelligent water heating
systems. In high-temp models, booster heaters now recover heat from rinse water,
reducing kilowatt-hour consumption.
EXAMPLE:
An ENERGY STAR® door-type dishwasher uses approx. 0.9 kWh per rack
A non-rated legacy model may use 2.0+ kWh per rack
If you run 100 racks/day, that’s:
• Old machine: 200 kWh/day × 365 = 73,000 kWh/year
• New machine: 90 kWh/day × 365 = 32,850 kWh/year
Savings: 40,150 kWh/year
• At $0.14/kWh (average commercial rate in Ontario): $5,621 annual energy
savings
Tip: Always compare per-cycle consumption, not just total load capacity,
when calculating eficiency.