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Appliance running costs
How much does it cost to run a heater, tumble dryer or piece of business equipment? Enter its power rating, how long it runs and your electricity unit rate.
60 kWh over 30 days · about £0.53 a day
Running costs by appliance
Typical costs at 26.32p per kWh, the GB average price-cap rate, October–December 2026, Direct Debit, 0% VAT. Each page shows its sources, the usage it assumes and a calculator for your region.
Kitchen
- Kettle79p an hour, 2.6p per boil
- Microwave33p an hour, 2.8p per use
- Air fryer46p an hour, 15p per meal
- Electric oven21p per use
- Electric hob (ceramic or induction)47p an hour, 16p per meal
- Slow cooker4.2p an hour, 34p per meal
- Toaster42p an hour, 2.1p per use
- Coffee machine (bean-to-cup)38p an hour, 1.9p per drink
- Fridge freezer17p a day, £63 a year
- Chest freezer14p a day, £53 a year
- Dishwasher22p per cycle
Laundry
- Washing machine15p per wash
- Tumble dryer (vented)£1.32 per load
- Tumble dryer (condenser)£1.25 per load
- Tumble dryer (heat pump)38p per load
- Heated clothes airer7.9p an hour, 32p per load
- Iron68p an hour, 34p per session
Heating, cooling and hot water
- Electric fan heater53p an hour, £1.05 per evening
- Oil-filled radiator53p an hour, £1.58 per evening
- Convector heater53p an hour, £1.05 per evening
- Electric blanket3.9p an hour, 3.9p per night
- Dehumidifier5.7p an hour, 45p per day
- Electric towel rail4.6p an hour, 9.2p per day
- Electric shower£2.50 an hour, 31p per shower
- Immersion heater79p an hour, 79p per day
- Portable air conditioner26p an hour, £1.06 per day
- Electric fan0.6p an hour, 5.1p per day
Home and personal care
- Hair dryer58p an hour, 9.7p per use
- Vacuum cleaner24p an hour, 12p per session
- Television2.2p an hour, 8.8p per day
- Games console (PS5)5.7p an hour, 11p per session
Electric car
- Electric car home charging8.8p per mile
Which costs less to run?
- Air fryer vs electric ovenan air fryer costs about 15p per meal and an electric oven about 21p per use, so the electric oven costs 35% more.
- Air fryer vs microwavea microwave costs about 2.8p per use and an air fryer about 15p per meal, so the air fryer costs 5.5 times as much.
- Microwave vs electric ovena microwave costs about 2.8p per use and an electric oven about 21p per use, so the electric oven costs 7.5 times as much.
- Slow cooker vs electric ovenan electric oven costs about 21p per use and a slow cooker about 34p per meal, so the slow cooker costs 62% more.
- Slow cooker vs air fryeran air fryer costs about 15p per meal and a slow cooker about 34p per meal, so the slow cooker costs 2.2 times as much.
- Heat-pump dryer vs condenser dryera heat-pump tumble dryer costs about 38p per load and a condenser tumble dryer about £1.25 per load, so the condenser dryer costs 3.3 times as much.
- Heat-pump dryer vs vented dryera heat-pump tumble dryer costs about 38p per load and a vented tumble dryer about £1.32 per load, so the vented dryer costs 3.5 times as much.
- Condenser dryer vs vented dryera condenser tumble dryer costs about £1.25 per load and a vented tumble dryer about £1.32 per load, so the vented dryer costs 6% more.
- Heated airer vs heat-pump dryera heated clothes airer costs about 32p per load and a heat-pump tumble dryer about 38p per load, so the heat-pump dryer costs 20% more.
- Heated airer vs vented dryera heated clothes airer costs about 32p per load and a vented tumble dryer about £1.32 per load, so the vented dryer costs 4.2 times as much.
- Dehumidifier vs heated airera dehumidifier costs about 5.7p per hour and a heated clothes airer about 7.9p per hour at full power, so the heated airer costs 39% more.
- Oil-filled radiator vs electric fan heateran oil-filled radiator and an electric fan heater cost the same at full power: about 53p per hour.
- Oil-filled radiator vs convector heateran oil-filled radiator and a convector heater cost the same at full power: about 53p per hour.
- Electric fan heater vs convector heateran electric fan heater and a convector heater cost the same at full power: about 53p per hour.
- Electric blanket vs electric fan heateran electric blanket costs about 3.9p per hour and an electric fan heater about 53p per hour at full power, so the electric fan heater costs 13 times as much.
- Electric blanket vs oil-filled radiatoran electric blanket costs about 3.9p per hour and an oil-filled radiator about 53p per hour at full power, so the oil-filled radiator costs 13 times as much.
- Air conditioner vs electric fanan electric fan costs about 0.6p per hour and a portable air conditioner about 26p per hour at full power, so the air conditioner costs 42 times as much.
Prices use the October–December 2026 price cap and update with each new cap period.
How it works
Energy used (kWh) = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours per day × days.
Cost = energy used × your unit rate in pence ÷ 100.
The rate starts at the price-cap electricity unit rate for the region you pick (Direct Debit, with the VAT that applies in the current cap period). Standing charges are excluded because they do not depend on how long an appliance runs.
Questions
Where do I find an appliance’s wattage?
Look on the rating plate (often on the back or underside), the plug or charger label, or the manual. If it lists kilowatts, multiply by 1,000 to get watts.
Is the result exact?
It is an upper estimate. The calculator assumes the appliance draws its full rated power the whole time it runs. Fridges, ovens, heaters and washing machines switch elements on and off, so they often use less.
Does it include the standing charge?
No. The standing charge is paid daily whether or not the appliance runs, so it is left out of the running cost.
What rate should I use on a time-of-use tariff?
Use the unit rate that applies when the appliance runs. If it runs across peak and off-peak periods, work out each part separately.