Patent ID: 7884498

Claim:
A method for energy-saving operation of a dishwasher, with the dishwasher having a total number N≧2 of electrical load elements, having the following steps: a) a group of n electrical load elements is assigned a maximum electrical total power p max ; b) each electrical load element i in the group of n electrical load elements is assigned a finite number m i of discrete electrical power levels p ij where m i ≧2: with there being a maximum power level p imax for each i, where p ij ≦p imax , where the sum of all maximum power levels p imax form a worst total power p worst = ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ ⁢ p imax ⁢ ⁢ where ⁢ ⁢ p max < p worst , and where a regular power level p ireg exists for each i, where 0<p ireg <p imax for all i, j, and where ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ ⁢ p ireg = p max ; c) an optimum combination of power levels p ij is selected in a demand determination step, as a function of an operating state B of the dishwasher, where the selected power level p ij for each i is matched to the power demand of the load element i in the operating state B, and where: ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ ⁢ p ij ⁡ ( B ) ≤ p max , for all operating states B; d) the electrical power of each load i in the group of n electrical load elements is set to the power level p ij , with the maximum power level p imax being assigned, at least during one of the operating states of the dishwasher, to at least one load element in the group of n electrical load elements; and in a load regulation phase, at least one load element r, where rε{1, . . . , n} and which influences at least one operating state variable, which differs by more than a predetermined tolerance from a nominal value thereof, is operated at a power level which differs from its regular power level p rreg , until the at least one operating state variable once again assumes a value which differs by not more than the predetermined tolerance from its nominal value.