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What's your laziest or most ridiculous automation?
(sh.itjust.works)
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this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
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My dishwasher automatically selects it's Eco program when powered on. The Eco program uses more water and more energy than the Auto program while also taking almost twice as long. So I have an automation that triggers when my dishwasher is powered on and then selects the Auto program for me - because pressing a button to change the program after loading the dishwasher would be too much to ask.
Thanks for that. Now I need a new dishwasher.
If it uses more water and more energy, what exactly is "eco" about it?
@EarMaster
Sensing some confusion out there.
ECO mode, exactly as the name implies, uses less water and less energy.
https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleaning/washing-machines/articles/eco-function-buttons
@EarMaster
Under some specific circumstances AUTO might be more economic but that would be the exception rather than a rule.
It is for me. The user manual states how much water and energy is used for each program. For the Auto program a range is given. The water consumption of the Eco program is almost identical to the worst value of the Auto program. I can measure the power consumption using a smart plug and I know that - at least for my dishes - the Auto program uses less energy than the Eco program.
How did you measure the water going through? Did you hook up an in-line flow meter to the dishwasher? I would be interested to know if my Bosch dishwasher is the same way because I always use Eco.
@JustEnoughDucks @EarMaster I'm not the original poster. I have seen lab test results supporting the LOWER water usage claim in ECO for common devices.
According to my own monitoring via smartplug, my own dishwasher uses about a 20 to 30% less electrical energy when in ECO mode as opposed to AUTO mode. It is a Bauknecht, which is likely very similar to your Bosch device in many ways (Bosch, Siemens, Bauknecht household devices all being manufactured by the same company...).
I can only measure the electricity directly. For the water consumption I rely on the values provided by the user manual.
I am well aware that Eco is supposed to be - well - more economic and maybe eco-friendly, but everything I read and could measure about my specific model indicate the opposite.