Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has published the 2024 Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) determination for dishwashers. The standard takes effect on 5 October 2025 and replaces the 2015 GEMS determination for dishwashers.

Requirements

The determination sets the following requirements for household dishwashers:

- minimum energy efficiency requirements;

- energy labelling requirements;

- product performance requirements;

- testing requirements.

What changed

Compared with the previous version, the main changes are:

- referenced standards are revised and updated;

- the energy label now includes programme running time in minutes, telling consumers how long wash and dry cycles take and helping them choose the most suitable programme length;

- GEMS rating requirements are incorporated, and information on minimum energy performance helps identify low-efficiency dishwashers on the market;

- test procedures are more representative and closer to international standards;

- the treatment of multi-compartment dishwashers is clarified.

The standard also focuses on performance criteria such as rated capacity, cleaning index and drying index, which help determine the quality of the products supplied and whether they meet the requirements.