Model
Hamilton Beach HBDW3208
Rank #11 means 10 of the 709 dishwasher models we track cost less to run each year; the 13th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 13% of those models.
What does the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 cost to run per year?
Do the math and the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208's $29/yr running cost puts it at rank #11 of 709, among the least expensive dishwasher models we track to keep running. It uses 30.2% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $41/yr to run, a saving of roughly $12 a year. Size-adjusted, this model ranks near the bottom of its class on efficiency, ahead of just 13% of dishwasher models we track. This class has no published efficiency-factor figure beyond annual kWh itself, so at 6 place settings (the class spans 2 to 18), size is the clearest lever we can point to for this model's running cost.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Ge Profile PZF560H*W*** at $29/yr runs a little cheaper and the Magic Chef MCSCD6B5 at $29/yr runs a little more, a sense of how tightly models are packed at this point in the ranking. A dishwasher typically stays in service for somewhere around 9 years; over that span, the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208's $29/yr adds up to roughly $261 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Black+Decker BCD6W.
By the numbers
The Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 normalized against its whole class, so each figure means something.
What it costs you over time
Running cost is an every-year number, so it compounds. At $29/yr, here is what the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 costs about $290. That is roughly $120 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $410 over the same ten years.
How the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 compares
The dishwasher class we track runs from $15 to $45 a year. At $29/yr, it runs about $15 a year cheaper than the class median of $44, and it is about $14 a year more than the cheapest dishwasher to run at $15. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $41/yr, the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 uses 30.2% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 6 place settings, the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 is a small dishwasher for its class, which spans 2 to 18 place settings with a median of 14 place settings, and smaller dishwasher models generally cost less to run for the same job, all else being equal.
- Place-setting capacity. Place-setting capacity is the main driver of how much water a cycle has to heat, and heating that water is most of a dishwasher's electricity use.
- Water heating. Most dishwashers have a booster heater that raises incoming water to sanitizing temperature; this heating step, not the pump or motor, accounts for most of a cycle's electricity use.
- Cycle length and drying method. Heavy or sanitize cycles run longer and hotter than a normal or eco cycle, and heated-dry options cost more to run than air-dry or condensation drying.
Common questions
Is the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 cheap to run?
Yes. Its $29/yr running cost puts it at rank #11 of 709, below what most dishwasher models we track cost to run.
How much does the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 cost per month?
About $2.4 a month, which is the $29 annual estimate spread across twelve months at the US average rate of $0.1856/kWh. Your own bill scales with your local electricity rate and how heavily you use it.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
The formula is annual kWh times price per kWh: 155 kWh from ENERGY STAR times the US average of $0.1856/kWh comes to about $29 a year. It covers electricity only, not the purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Hamilton Beach HBDW3208 for its size?
13th percentile once size is factored in. That means its size-adjusted efficiency is not the main reason for the running-cost figure above; its capacity plays a large role too.
Cheaper to run in the same class
Source
ES_1120898_HBDW3208_10232024135412_80228176View certified dishwasher listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Hamilton Beach and HBDW3208 are used here for identification only and are not endorsements. Figures are computed by WattWise Labs from public ENERGY STAR data, not measured in our own lab.