They are an extremely useful home appliance which save a huge amount of time on labour intensive washing up – and they can also save on water too –  but households who have dishwashers are set to face higher charges from April.

Although dishwashers have actually been found to be cheaper to run than doing the washing up, because they are extremely efficient at using small amounts of water to clean, they do still cost money to run. Though exact costs can vary based on size, how new yours is, and the cycle you choose, the average electricity cost to run a dishwasher for one cycle is 1kWh.

But from April the price of running a dishwasher is set to go even higher after regulator Ofgem increases prices for those not on a fixed tariff.

Currently, electricity costs an average of 24.86p per kWh, and it will go up to 27.03p per kWh from April 1, when Ofgem increases prices of gas and electricity by an average of 6.4%, or £111 a year.

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That means running a dishwasher on the pre-April price will cost 25p per hour, or £90.74 per year. With the new prices, that’s going up to 27p per hour or £98.66 per year if used one hour per day every day.

Of course, this doesn’t include the cost of water, which is also going up in price substantially in most parts of the UK in April, although, as mentioned above, dishwashers are said to use less water than washing by hand.

Those worried about the cost of running a dishwasher can save money by using them carefully: use the eco-cycle, or energy saving mode. This often makes the cycle longer, but it uses the residual heat inside the machine to dry with, so it actually costs less.

You should also make sure to only run the dishwasher when it’s full, and never pre-rinse. Pre-rinsing wastes hot water – just scrape it off and throw it in the machine.

The best way to save money on your bills right now is to get a fix. There are still fixed energy deals cheaper than the April price cap available on the market, which will save you money against the new prices and guarantee to lock your price in for the next 12 months, but time is rapidly running out to grab one before April.