Dear Mary: Is it more expensive to use a dishwasher to wash dishes or to wash them by hand? -- Ila T., e-mail

Dear Ila: It may surprise you that running your dishwasher actually costs less than doing a load of dishes by hand in the sink, according to the Department of Energy. You also might find it surprising that when you wash your dishes in the dishwasher, 80 percent of your energy costs are associated with heating the water, while only 20 percent are from actual machine energy usage. And ...

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