Why do you have to connect the dishwasher to a separate group?
For high-power electrical devices, the installation standards of NEN (Nederlands Normalisatie Instituut) were created. According to these general provisions, appliances such as an electric hob, microwave oven, oven or boiling water tap must all be connected to a separate group. The maximum capacity of these devices is over 2000 watts and for this a separate group is required according to this rule. The capacity of a cooker sometimes exceeds 4000 watts, which even requires a double group.
An exception is made for devices that are used for less than 10 minutes at a time, such as kettles, coffee makers and blenders.
Can a dishwasher and an electric cooker be connected to one group?
Large appliances with a high capacity really should both have a separate group. The power of the appliances is too high to share a group. If you connect a dishwasher together with the oven to the same group, this is against the installation standards. What will happen is that the group will be overloaded and the insurance company will not pay for the damage caused. They have included in their conditions that damages will only be compensated if the electrical installation meets the requirements set by the NEN. A dishwasher can be connected to a group with other appliances, provided they are low-power.
If you are having a new kitchen installed with more appliances, you may not have enough groups. It may be that you do not have enough capacity and one group is short.
Replace your distribution board
For a new dishwasher, you may need to replace the distribution board or expand it with additional groups. This electrical installation is best left to an electrician, because replacing your group box yourself without any knowledge of the meter box is virtually impossible. Having your own group made by an electrician also gives you the guarantee that the electrical installation meets the set standards. Fortunately, most new homes already have their own group for the dishwasher, so you do not need to go to any extra trouble.
Does an energy-efficient dishwasher also need its own group?
Yes. Even though the consumption is a lot lower, the power of an energy efficient dishwasher is still well above the standard of 2000 watts. If you do not want to go through the trouble of adding one extra group in the meter cupboard, you cannot circumvent the standards by purchasing an energy-efficient dishwasher.