Model
Viking VDWU524SS
Rank #104 means 103 of the 709 dishwasher models we track cost less to run each year; the 44th efficiency percentile means it uses less energy for its size than 44% of those models.
What does the Viking VDWU524SS cost to run per year?
Do the math and the Viking VDWU524SS's $42/yr puts it at rank #104 of 709, one of the more affordable dishwasher models we track to keep running. It uses 26.7% less energy than the U.S. federal standard model in its class, which would cost about $57/yr to run, a saving of roughly $15 a year. Adjusted for size, it is more efficient than 44% of dishwasher models we track, a middling result. At 12 place settings, it is a small dishwasher for the class, which runs 2 to 18 place settings; size and efficiency are the two levers behind the figure above, and this dataset does not carry a separate efficiency-factor column for this class.
Immediately around it on the leaderboard, the Viking VDWU324SS at $42/yr runs a little cheaper and the Blomberg DWDI56310 at $43/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 Viking VDWU524SS's $42/yr adds up to roughly $378 in electricity alone, before purchase price or repairs.
Also sold as: Beko DDT38530***.
By the numbers
The Viking VDWU524SS 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 $42/yr, here is what the Viking VDWU524SS adds up to before purchase price, water, or repairs enter the math.
Left running for a decade at today's US average rate, the Viking VDWU524SS costs about $420. That is roughly $150 less than a standard model in its class, which would run closer to $570 over the same ten years.
How the Viking VDWU524SS compares
The dishwasher class we track runs from $15 to $45 a year. At $42/yr, it runs about $2 a year cheaper than the class median of $44, and it is about $27 a year more than the cheapest dishwasher to run at $15. Against the US federal standard model for its class at about $57/yr, the Viking VDWU524SS uses 26.7% less energy.
What drives its running cost
At 12 place settings, the Viking VDWU524SS 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. A larger dishwasher heats more water per cycle, so bigger capacity generally means a higher annual energy figure, independent of how efficient the unit is.
- Water heating. The booster heater that brings water up to sanitizing temperature is usually the single largest electrical load in a dishwasher's cycle.
- Cycle length and drying method. Cycle selection, eco versus heavy, air-dry versus heated-dry, moves real running cost more than most owners realize for a given capacity.
Common questions
Is the Viking VDWU524SS cheap to run?
Yes, relatively. At $42 a year it ranks #104 of 709 dishwasher models we track, in the cheaper part of its class to run.
How much does the Viking VDWU524SS cost per month?
Roughly $3.48/mo, spreading the $42/yr estimate evenly across twelve months at $0.1856/kWh. Actual monthly bills swing with your rate and usage pattern.
How is this running-cost figure calculated?
We take the model's published annual energy use of 225 kWh from ENERGY STAR and multiply it by the US average residential electricity rate of $0.1856/kWh, giving about $42 a year. It is an electricity-only estimate and does not include purchase price, water, or installation.
How efficient is the Viking VDWU524SS for its size?
44th 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_31770_VDWU524SS_05232018171707_5827927View certified dishwasher listingsENERGY STAR data as of July 2026Viking and VDWU524SS 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.