Commercial Dishwashers

THE PRODUCT:

Commercial dishwashers are used in places such as restaurants, bars, schools, hospitals, and institutional cafeterias.

THE STANDARD:

There are no national standards for commercial dishwashers. In May 2018, Vermont adopted the first state standards based on ENERGY STAR Version 2.0, which was in effect between 2013 and 2021. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and the District of Columbia have since adopted the same standards. The ENERGY STAR specification includes an idle energy rate requirement, which reduces energy use when a dishwasher is powered on but not actively running, and a water efficiency requirement. ENERGY STAR Version 2.0–qualified dishwashers use about 20–40% less water than standard models.

KEY FACTS:

Commercial dishwashers are designed in various configurations and include both “high temp” models, which use hot water to achieve sanitization, and “low temp” models, which use a chemical sanitizing solution. In 2020, 63% of total shipments of commercial dishwashers were ENERGY STAR qualified for Version 2.0. 

Timeline

Federal Date States
2024 MD Standard Effective
2023 NV Standard Effective
2023 RI Standard Effective
2022 MD Standard Adopted
2022 DC Standard Effective
2022 MA Standard Effective
2022 OR Standard Effective
2022 NJ Standard Effective
2021 RI Standard Adopted
2021 OR Standard Adopted
2021 NV Standard Adopted
2021 MA Standard Adopted
2021 NJ Standard Adopted
2021 WA Standard Effective
2021 CO Standard Effective
2020 DC Standard Adopted
2020 VT Standard Effective
2019 WA Standard Adopted
2019 CO Standard Adopted
2018 VT Standard Adopted

Timeline reflects state standards from 2001 to present; federal standards from inception to present.