The dishwasher has been the subject of some bad press in recent years, mainly for its perceived high energy usage and water consumption. Now, thanks to strategic marketing, design, vision and technological breakthroughs opinions are changing.

Although a misconception today, the truth is that 10 years ago dishwashers were in the early stages of development and were guilty of using large volumes of water compared to the alternative option of hand washing dishes. It's thanks to the huge steps taken by manufacturers to develop the technology used to create them that attitudes have changed.

There are of course other factors influencing the change such as a considerable rise in energy bills and general attitudes towards the environment, with water usage a major concern. "Water consumption, has risen by 70% in the last 30 years," says Paul Thompson, md of Baumatic UK, "so it's not surprising that water concerns are a top priority when it comes to choosing a new dishwasher."

General hygiene is an important area of concern, particularly in homes with children. Dishwashers are considerably more hygienic than drying dishes by hand with a tea towel. Many dishwashers have special high powered cleaning programmes and anti-bacterial settings to kill off germs, and with the increased risk of super bugs like MRSA and Ecoli it's an area that consumers are taking very seriously.

The latest models available on the market use less than 20 litres of water per cycle, compared to around 40 litres used during hand washing. "Dishwashers have come a long way thanks to the real lifestyle benefits they have to offer," says Steve Dickson, built-in product manager for GDHA. "This is reflected by the market growth of 2.6% in the past year to £268m."

Further growth in this market is likely to follow as it is estimated that one in three households now own a dishwasher. 

"The dishwasher has become one of the most technologically superior products available," comments Richard Walker, sales and marketing manager for De Dietrich. "With considerations given to every aspect of people's modern lifestyles."

Probably the most notable breakthrough has been the introduction of fully automated machines that make choosing a programme a thing of the past. Most dishwashers, particularly at the high end of the market, can sense the level of cleaning required for each individual load and automatically choose a programme and temperature to clean that particular load efficiently.  This intelligent technology has revolutionised the market. There has also been notable advancement in the technology that considers environmental issues. "Much of the technological advance has been fuelled by eco-considerations," says Joan Fraser, national sales support manager, Smeg UK. "This has resulted in ever better energy and water consumption figures."

Technology that enables manufacturers to produce models that operate with low levels of noise has also been a significant development, particularly when you consider the rising popularity of kitchens as living spaces. "The trend towards open plan living has resulted in manufacturers making quieter machines," says Richard Walker, De Dietrich. "These models will work in the background while people are entertaining and socialising in the kitchen, with little or no noise."

The list of special features, functions and innovative ideas is endless, so with all this talk of technology and what makes a dishwasher so great, the question we should really ask is, do consumers actually understand the technology? Or more importantly do they actually need to?

A good argument for this would be that if a retailer and their staff are educated well enough on the functions and general specifications of each model in the showroom, then there is little or no need for consumers to be clued up at all. In this instance all the consumer needs to be clear on is what their needs are or what they intend to gain from installing a dishwasher in their home. All they need do is convey this to the retailer who can steer them towards the model that best suits their needs.

Consumers within the replacement bracket will have a good understanding of how dishwashers actually work and the advancements in technology, because they have already owned one. Pointing out new functions and special features is key here. First time buyers, on the other hand, are less likely to have any understanding of how these appliances work and may need more convincing.

"For the first time buyer it is important to expound the huge benefits of dishwashers, they are not a luxury," says Stuart Frost, marketing manager, Maytag UK. "It is here where they need to understand the huge benefits that a dishwasher can bring to a household. It is really important to explode the myth about dishwashers and emphasise the products benefits accurately."

Inside Analysis

Emmie Lindvig, product marketing manager, KitchenAid UK reviews the UK dishwashing market:

Despite a general decline in consumer confidence, 2007 still delivered 4% growth in the overall dishwashing market - primarily driven by the built-in segment which was up 25%.

The total 2007 volume of 923,300 units generated a value of just above £268m, showing a 2.6% year on year value growth. Of this, built-in accounted for approximately two thirds of the volume and 17% of the value.

As could be expected with the general focus on energy efficiency, the share of AAA rated machines grew 19%, making up two thirds of total sales. Hardly surprising, as manufacturers are making this specification more readily available in the market.

Couple this trend for environmental concern with the current UK dishwashing 30% penetration level, the potential for steady growth is still present. However, what is still required is to educate the consumer that dishwashing is more resource efficient than washing up by hand - something which will hopefully be spurred on by government initiatives such as "Time to Change".

Although still in relatively small volumes, more than 30% growth came from machines offering low noise levels between 40-45 db(A) (equivalent to the sound of whispering and soft conversation).

The built in segment growth and the trend towards lower noise levels dovetails with kitchens increasingly becoming the hub of the home for both entertaining and living, boosting the demand for quiet, non intrusive machines that add, rather than detract, from a kitchens overall aesthetics.
Although full size machines account for approximately 80% of the market (737,600 units) they only experienced 3.3% year on year growth.

With more single households and smaller living spaces, the physical size of a dishwasher is becoming an increasingly important factor in the consumer decision making process and this was reflected by a 9.2% growth in slimline segment which makes up approximately 18% of the market.

The total average price dropped 1.4% to £290 mainly due to increased competition, but also manufacturers making advanced technology available at lower price points in a bid to secure market share. Promotions during Q4 to boost Christmas sales also had an impact - particularly in the built in segment - dropping £35 year on year in the last quarter of 2007.

The compact segment, including space saving products such as the unique KitchenAid In-sink dishwasher, was the only segment that enjoyed 13% increase in price realising £495.