Find out exactly what any appliance costs to run in the UK — from an electric heater to a washing machine, tumble dryer, kettle or fridge freezer — using your own unit rate.
Electricity cost · Appliance running costs · UK p/kWh
Check the rating plate or manual. 1000 W = 1 kW.
Multiply the power rating in kW (watts ÷ 1000) by the hours per day you use it, then multiply by your electricity unit rate in pence. Divide by 100 to get pounds. A 2,000 W appliance running 3 hours a day at 24.5p/kWh costs about £1.47 per day and £535 per year.
The calculator above handles all the arithmetic and projects costs across every time period at once. Change the wattage, hours, or unit rate and the figures update instantly.
Wattage and hours of use are the two levers. A high-wattage appliance used occasionally can cost less per year than a low-wattage one left on continuously. The checklist below shows typical power ratings — use the presets in the calculator to run the numbers for your own usage pattern.
Cutting usage time or switching to a more efficient model (look for the A-rated appliance label) are the two most effective ways to reduce running costs.
Many searches are appliance-specific: cost to run electric heater, cost to run washing machine, cost to run tumble dryer, cost to run kettle, cost to run air fryer and cost to run fridge freezer.
Use the same formula for each one. Enter the appliance wattage, the time it runs, and your electricity unit rate. For appliances with an energy label, use the annual kWh figure directly where possible.
A typical 3 kW kettle takes about 3 minutes to boil a full litre of water, using around 0.15 kWh of electricity. At 24.5p/kWh that is roughly 3.7p per boil. If you boil it five times a day, that is about 18–19p a day or roughly £68 a year. Enter your own wattage and daily use in the calculator above for your exact figure.
A 2 kW electric heater costs about 49p per hour at 24.5p/kWh. Used for 4 hours a day, that is around £1.96 per day or roughly £59 a month if used every day. Electric heaters are one of the highest-running-cost appliances because they draw a lot of power for long periods.
Most modern washing machines use between 0.5 kWh and 2 kWh per cycle depending on the temperature and programme. At 24.5p/kWh that works out to roughly 12p–49p per wash. Running a 2 kW machine for one hour three times a week at 24.5p would cost around £76 a year. Using a 30°C or eco cycle instead of 60°C typically halves the energy use.
A typical vented or condenser tumble dryer using 2–2.5 kWh per cycle costs roughly 49p–61p per load at 24.5p/kWh. Heat pump tumble dryers can use closer to 1 kWh per cycle, cutting that to around 25p. Enter the wattage and cycle length above to estimate your own dryer.
A fridge freezer may only draw 100–200 W when the compressor is running, but it cycles on and off all day. Annual consumption is usually shown on the energy label. A 250 kWh/year fridge freezer costs about £61 a year at 24.5p/kWh.
Multiply the appliance's power rating in kilowatts (watts ÷ 1000) by the number of hours you use it, then multiply by your electricity unit rate in pence per kWh. Divide by 100 to convert pence to pounds. For example: a 1.5 kW heater run for 4 hours at 24.5p = 1.5 × 4 × 24.5 = 147p = £1.47. The calculator above does this automatically and projects it across a day, week, month and year.
Under the Ofgem price cap the unit rate for a typical UK household is around 24.5p/kWh as of mid-2024, though the exact figure varies by region, supplier, and tariff type. Check your electricity bill or online account for your personal rate — it is usually shown on the front page or in the tariff details section.
Yes. Most TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes, and chargers draw 1–15 W even when not in active use. A device consuming 10 W on standby 24 hours a day uses 87.6 kWh a year — that is around £21 at 24.5p/kWh. Across several devices this can add up to £50–£100 a year. Smart plugs or switching off at the wall are the simplest fix.
The biggest consumers in a typical UK home are electric showers (7,000–10,000 W), immersion heaters and storage heaters (1,000–3,000 W), tumble dryers (2,000–2,500 W), electric ovens and hobs (1,500–3,000 W), and washing machines (1,200–2,000 W per cycle). Fridges and freezers run continuously at lower wattage (50–200 W) but still account for a significant slice of annual spend. Use the presets or enter any wattage in the calculator to compare.
