Appliance Running Costs: Biggest Energy Hogs & Savings Tips

The rising cost of energy has become a significant concern for both the public and the UK Government. Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that approximately 13% of households are now in fuel poverty, highlighting the growing financial strain on many families.

But what can you do about it? Simply changing your habits without understanding your energy usage won’t necessarily save you money.

A more effective approach begins with understanding how much energy your household appliances consume. By pairing this knowledge with a smart meter, you can identify the devices consuming the most electricity. This insight allows you to monitor and manage your energy usage more effectively.

With this information, you can take steps to reduce energy waste, adopt more energy-efficient practices, and ultimately lower your electricity bills. Not only does this help you save money, but it also contributes to environmental sustainability, benefiting both your wallet and the planet.

Here’s a tip: Many households are now adopting battery storage systems to take advantage of lower off-peak tariffs, which can significantly reduce energy costs. Explore how you can start saving today - click here to learn more!

How Much Electricity Do Common Household Appliances Use?

The cost of running household appliances is still a major concern for UK households, but the smartest way to cut your bill is to understand which appliances use the most electricity, when you use them, and how much each one costs to run.

That is much more useful than making random cutbacks and hoping for the best. If you pair this with a smart meter or half-hourly usage data, you can get a much clearer view of what is driving your electricity bill.

Many homes are also looking at time-of-use tariffs, battery storage and other ways to shift electricity use away from peak periods.

That can make a real difference, especially for homes with electric heating, immersion heaters, EV charging or other high-demand appliances. The exact savings depend on your tariff and usage pattern.

How much electricity do common household appliances use?

The amount of electricity an appliance uses depends mainly on three things - its power rating, how long it runs for, and how efficiently it operates. Older appliances can cost more to run, and some products that look expensive on paper - like kettles or showers - are often only used for short bursts.

To keep the examples below current and consistent, the running costs in this guide use the Ofgem energy price cap average for Great Britain, paying by Direct Debit, from 1 April to 30 June 2026.

That means: 24.67p per kWh for electricity and a 57.21p daily electricity standing charge.

The standing charge is separate from usage, so the appliance costs below focus on the unit rate only. Actual prices vary by region, payment method and tariff.

PS: You can check the history of the energy price cap, along with future estimates, in our timeline of the energy price cap here.

What unit rate are these costs based on?

To keep this clear and current, the costs below use the Ofgem energy price cap (average, Great Britain, paying by Direct Debit) for 1 Jan–31 Mar 2026:

• Electricity unit rate: 27.69p/kWh

• Electricity standing charge (daily): 54.75p/day (this is separate from usage)

Regional rates vary a bit, and fixed tariffs can be lower (or higher). But this is the best “baseline” for quick comparisons.

Estimated energy costs of common household appliances

How to read this table:

The cost per hour assumes the appliance is running at or near full power for a full hour.

That’s useful for comparison, but not always how appliances behave in real life.

For example:

• kettles, showers and microwaves are high-powered, but only used briefly

• fridge-freezers cycle on and off

• washing machines and tumble dryers don’t pull maximum power every second of the cycle

So treat these as practical estimates, not gospel.

💡 A few things worth knowing:

Some appliances look terrifying in a table like this, but context matters.

• A kettle costs about 74.0p per hour if it ran non-stop for an hour. But unless you’re trying to boil the North Sea, it won’t. It usually runs for a minute or two, so the real cost per boil is tiny.

• Same goes for electric showers. They’re expensive while they’re on, but they’re not on for long unless you’re in there rehearsing for a shampoo advert.

• And then you’ve got appliances like fridge-freezers, which look cheap per hour but run all day, every day. They’re more like a slow leak than a punch in the face.

How Much Energy Do Other Household Appliances Use?

How Much Electricity Does A Desktop Computer (PC) Use?

A typical desktop PC uses around 140 watts, or 0.14 kWh per hour.

At 24.67p/kWh, that works out at about 3.5p per hour.

Use it for eight hours and you’re looking at roughly 27.6p per day.

That will vary depending on what you’re doing, of course. Sending emails is one thing.

Running ten Chrome tabs, Photoshop, Spotify and a video call while pretending you’re “just doing a quick bit of admin” is another.

How Much Electricity Does A Laptop Use?

A laptop usually uses around 50 watts, or 0.05 kWh per hour.

That works out at roughly 1.2p per hour.

Run it for eight hours and it’ll cost you around 9.9p for the day.

So yes, laptops are generally much cheaper to run than desktop setups. Better for your bill, and easier to dramatically shut mid-meeting.

How Much Energy Does a Kettle Use? 

A standard kettle is usually about 3,000 watts (3kW).

At today’s baseline electricity rate, that’s 74.0p per hour if you somehow ran it constantly for a full hour.

More realistically, boiling 1 litre of water uses around 0.11 kWh, which costs about 2.7p per boil.

So the kettle itself isn’t the problem. Boiling far more water than you need every single time? That’s where the waste comes in.

Boil what you need. Revolutionary stuff.

How Much Energy Does a Microwave Use? 

A 1,000W microwave costs about 24.7p per hour to run.

For 10 minutes, that’s roughly 4.1p.

That’s why microwaves are usually pretty cheap to run overall. They’re powerful, but they’re used in short bursts.

Also, no one uses a microwave for a full hour unless something has gone badly wrong.

Energy Help Guides: 

• History of Ofgem's energy price cap. 

• How to reduce your energy bills. 

• Fuel Poverty in the UK. 

• How much electricity do appliances use? 

• What is the Energy Price Guarantee?

• How to Save on Your Electric Bill. 

• Why are energy bills increasing? 

• When will energy bills decrease? 

• How to improve your property's EPC rating. 

How Much Does a Large Screen TV Use? 

A typical LCD TV uses about 120 watts, which works out at around 3.0p per hour.

If it’s on for eight hours a day, that’s about 24p a day.

A plasma TV, though, is greedier. At around 350 watts, it costs about 8.6p per hour, or close to 69p over eight hours.

So if you’ve still got an old plasma clinging on in the living room, it may be costing you more than you think.

How Much Energy Does a Single Lightbulb Use? 

A traditional 100W incandescent bulb uses 0.1 kWh per hour, which costs about 2.5p an hour at the current rate.

Ten of them running at once would cost about 24.7p an hour.

Not the sexiest home upgrade in the world, but it works.

How Much Energy Does a Tumble Dryer Use? 

A tumble dryer typically uses around 2.5kW while it’s heating and tumbling.

That means a running cost of about 61.7p per hour.

But the real cost per load depends on:

• how wet the clothes are

• the cycle length

• the heat setting

• whether it’s a heat pump model

Heat pump dryers are usually much cheaper to run than older vented or condenser dryers, so if yours is ancient, it may be working hard to bankrupt you.

How Much Energy Does a Washing Machine Use? 

An average washing machine has a power rating of around 2.1kW.

At the current unit rate, that works out to around 51.8p per hour or 8.6p for 10 minutes.

But the actual cost of a wash depends much more on the programme length and temperature setting.

In general, cooler washes are cheaper. So unless your clothes are caked in mud, regret and tomato sauce, a 30°C wash will usually do the job.

How Do You Calculate the Amount of Energy Used By An Appliance? 

You use the following formula to calculate the energy used by an appliance: 

Power rating in kilowatts x hours used per day = kWh per day. 

Recommended reading: 

• Average carbon footprint in the UK. 

• Where does the UK get its gas from?

• Most polluting industries. 

• Worst appliances to leave on standby. 

• How to reduce your carbon emissions. 

• How to generate energy at home.

How Do You Calculate the Energy Cost Of An Appliance? 

You use the following formula to calculate the energy cost of an appliance:

kWh per day × unit cost = cost of electricity each day

For example:

If you had a 500W (0.5 kW) appliance and operated it for the entire day (24 hours), it would use:

0.5 kW × 24 hours = 12 kWh

Given the current electricity unit rate of 27.69p/kWh, multiplying 12 kWh by 27.69p results in a total of 332.3p, or £3.32.

As mentioned previously, we used the latest price cap unit rate. However, since energy prices can fluctuate, it’s important to update these figures at regular intervals.

Which Appliances Use the Most Energy? 

Usually, the biggest electricity users are the ones that:

• produce heat

• run for ages

• or both

That means the usual suspects are:

• tumble dryers

• washing machines

• electric showers

• ovens

• electric heaters

• immersion heaters

• dishwashers

The appliances that quietly add up over time are things like fridge-freezers, TVs, routers and anything left on standby 24/7.

So the expensive stuff is not always the loud stuff. 

Related reading: 

• Boiler Replacement & New Boiler Guide.

• Boilers on Finance. 

• Boiler Installation guide. 

• Best combi boilers.

Methodology:

We use the Ofgem electricity price cap unit rate for the current cap period (1 Jan–31 Mar 2026): 27.69p/kWh.

To determine how much it costs to run an appliance:

1. Calculate energy used: Power (kW) × hours used = kWh

2. Calculate cost: kWh × unit rate = cost

Example:

If you have a 500W (0.5 kW) appliance and you run it for a whole day (24 hours), it will use 12 kWh of electricity.

If your electricity costs 27.69p per unit, then multiply 12 kWh by 27.69p and you get a grand total of 332.3p, or £3.32.