How much each appliance costs to run
An appliance’s running cost depends on three things: how much power it draws, how much of the time it actually draws it, and how long it runs. This appliance running cost calculator uses all three, prices the result at your electricity unit rate, and ranks your appliances from most to least expensive.
The formula
kWh = watts × duty cycle × hours ÷ 1,000. Cost = kWh × unit rate. A 2,500W tumble dryer running a two-hour cycle draws full power about 85% of the time, so one load uses 4.25 kWh — £1.12 at 26.32p per kWh.
Why duty cycle matters
Many appliances switch on and off to hold a temperature. A 150W fridge-freezer is plugged in all week, but its compressor runs about a fifth of the time. Without that adjustment it would appear to use 1,310 kWh a year; in reality it is closer to 262 kWh, or £68.98.
Typical UK running costs, ranked
Using the default weekly hours shown in the calculator above.
| Appliance | Typical use | Per use | kWh a year | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric heater (2kW) | 8 hours a week | 52.6p an hour | 832 | £218.98 |
| Immersion heater (3kW) | 4 hours a week | 79.0p an hour | 624 | £164.24 |
| Tumble dryer (2.5kW) | 5 hours a week | £1.12 a load | 553 | £145.42 |
| Electric oven | 5 hours a week | 34.7p an hour | 343 | £90.33 |
| Dehumidifier | 40 hours a week | 34.7p per 8 hours | 343 | £90.33 |
| Dishwasher | 4 loads a week | 42.6p a load | 337 | £88.69 |
| Fridge-freezer | Always on | 18.9p a day | 262 | £68.98 |
| Kettle (3kW) | 30 boils a week | 3.9p a boil | 234 | £61.59 |
| TV and media | 28 hours a week | 2.6p an hour | 146 | £38.32 |
| Washing machine | 4 loads a week | 16.6p a load | 131 | £34.49 |
All ten together: 3,805 kWh and £1,001.37 a year at 26.32p/kWh. Your wattages and hours will differ — change them above.
The expensive ones
How much does a tumble dryer cost to run?
At about £1.12 a load, a household drying two or three loads a week spends £145 a year. A heat pump tumble dryer uses roughly half the energy, which would save around £70 a year at these rates. Drying outdoors or on an airer costs nothing.
Electric heaters
A 2kW plug-in heater turns every kWh into heat, so it costs 52.6p an hour at full power. It is fine for short spells in one room but the most expensive way to heat a home. Compare it with gas and a heat pump in the heating cost calculator.
Immersion heaters
A 3kW immersion heater costs 79p an hour. Left on a timer that runs longer than needed, it can quietly become the biggest item on the bill. A timer or thermostat set to heat once a day usually does the job.
The small ones
Kettle, TV and washing machine
A kettle draws a lot of power but only for about three minutes, so each boil costs under 4p. A washing machine at 40°C costs about 17p a load, mostly for heating water — washing at 30°C cuts that further. Modern TVs cost a few pence an hour.
Standby
Most modern devices draw less than 1W on standby, which is under 9 kWh a year each, or about £2.30. Switching off at the wall is a habit worth having, but it will not change a bill the way drying or heating choices will.
Cooking: oven, air fryer and microwave
Worked from the power each draws and the time it runs, at 26.32p per kWh. Thermostats cycling off make real costs a little lower.
| Appliance | Power | Time | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric oven | 2.2kW, cycling (60%) | 1 hour | 1.32 kWh | 34.7p |
| Air fryer | 1.5kW | 20 minutes | 0.5 kWh | 13.2p |
| Microwave | 800W | 10 minutes | 0.13 kWh | 3.5p |
Using an air fryer instead of the oven for one meal a day saves up to 21.5p a day, about £78 a year.
Buying a new appliance
Read the energy label
UK energy labels were rescaled in 2021, so a fridge that was A+++ on the old scale may now be D or E. The label shows kWh per year or per 100 cycles — enter that directly for the most accurate cost, rather than using wattage.
Running cost over the appliance’s life
A tumble dryer used two or three times a week costs £145 a year to run. Over ten years that is £1,454 at today’s rates — often more than the dryer cost to buy. Paying more for a heat pump model that halves the energy can be the cheaper choice overall.
Smaller comforts
A 100W electric blanket costs about 2.6p an hour, far less than heating the whole bedroom. Low-power appliances used for comfort can replace much higher-power heating for a fraction of the cost.
Using these numbers
Find your appliance’s wattage
Look for the rating plate — a sticker on the back, underneath or inside the door. The energy label on newer appliances gives kWh per cycle or per year, which is even better. Plug-in energy monitors measure real use for a few pounds.
Where to go next
The ranking shows where effort pays off. For the full bill including the standing charge, use the electricity cost calculator. For the detail behind these numbers, read what appliances cost to run, and for other savings, cutting an energy bill.