The energy-saving operation of dishwashers (110; 410) plays an important role, in particular for larger enterprises, e.g. for the canteens of hospitals or large enterprises, and in the medical disinfection field. The invention thus discloses a method and a device, in which a total maximum electric output is assigned to a group of electric
consumer elements (14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 33; 418, 420, 432, 438) of a dishwasher (110; 410). In addition, at least two output levels are assigned to each electric
consumer element (14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 33; 418, 420, 432, 438) of said group. An optimum combination of output levels is then selected in a requirement determination step, based on an operational state B of the dishwasher (119), whereby for each
consumer element (14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 33; 418, 420, 432, 438) the selected output level is adapted to the output requirement of the consumer element (14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 33; 418, 420, 432, 438) in operational state B and the total output of all consumer elements (14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 33; 418, 420, 432, 438) does not exceed the maximum electric total output. The operation of the dishwasher (110; 410) can also be divided into three phases, a start phase, an activation phase and a load control phase. The output levels of the individual consumer elements (14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 33; 418, 420, 432, 438) are optimally adapted in accordance with the requirements in said operating phases, thus allowing a response to be made to any fluctuations in the operational state. The inventive method permits significant energy savings to be made in comparison to conventional methods for controlling dishwashers (110; 410) and leads to a more rapid attainment of a ready status of the dishwasher (110; 410) upon activation.