ENERGY · RUNNING COSTS
What it costs to run
Tell me what it is, or its watts, and how long it runs. I'll price it at the price cap's unit rate where you live, an hour, a week and a year.
- Your region
- Today's cap
- Working shown
An hour at full power
52.6p
At 26.32p a kWh: the cap's Great Britain average on Direct Debit, 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026.
- A week
- £3.69
- A month
- £16.01
- A year
- £192.15
The working
- 2 kW for 1 hour uses 2 kWh at full power.
- 2 kWh × 26.32p a kWh (Great Britain average, Direct Debit, VAT included) = 52.6p each time.
- 7 times a week is £3.69; × 52.14 weeks = £192.15 a year, or £16.01 a month.
The standing charge (54.83p a day here) isn't in these figures: you pay it whatever you run. On Economy 7 or another time-of-use tariff, the cost depends on when it runs and your supplier's rates.
By appliance
At 26.32p a kWh: the Great Britain average on Direct Debit. Power ratings at full power.
- Electric heater52.6p an hour
- Oil-filled radiator52.6p an hour
- Dehumidifier4.1p an hour
- Tumble dryer29p a cycle
- Heated airer6.6p an hour
- Electric blanket2.6p an hour
- Air fryer21.1p for 20 minutes
- Kettle2.6p for 2 minutes
- Electric oven21.3p a use
- Washing machine12.9p a cycle
- Dishwasher17.1p a cycle
- Fridge freezer£53.43 a year
- TV2.1p an hour
- Games console5.7p an hour
- Slow cooker4.2p an hour
- Microwave2.8p for 5 minutes
How the sums work
Power in watts, times the hours it runs, divided by 1,000, is the energy it uses in kilowatt hours (kWh), the unit on your bill. Times your unit rate, that's the cost. Appliances with an energy label give the kWh themselves: a year for fridges and freezers, per 100 cycles for washing machines and dishwashers.
The rate is Ofgem's price cap for single-rate electricity in your region, for how you pay, with VAT as it stands on the day. It changes every three months, and so do these figures; when the next cap is announced I show what it'll cost from then too. If you're on a fixed tariff, your own unit rate is on your bill, and the price cap page has every region's.
Watts give the cost at full power. Anything with a thermostat or a humidistat (many heaters and dehumidifiers, for one) switches itself off and on, so it uses less than that over an hour: give it fewer hours if you know it cycles. Each appliance's page says what its maker or a tester has found. And it's the electricity only, not the standing charge you pay whatever runs.
To see what a whole year would cost on each tariff, compare energy prices for your home.
Questions
How do I work out what an appliance costs to run?
Multiply its power in kilowatts by the hours it runs to get kWh, then multiply by your unit rate. A 2 kW heater on for 3 hours uses 6 kWh; at 26p a kWh that's £1.56. For appliances with an energy label, the label gives the kWh instead.
How much is a unit of electricity?
A unit is a kilowatt hour (kWh). Under the price cap from 1 October to 31 December 2026, the Great Britain average for single-rate electricity a kWh is 26.32p on Direct Debit, 27.80p paying on receipt of a bill, 25.52p on prepayment, VAT included. Your region's rate can be more or less, and fixed tariffs have their own.
Is the standing charge included?
No. The standing charge is a daily amount you pay whatever you run, so switching something on doesn't add to it. These figures are only the electricity it uses.
Why does it cost more in some regions?
Ofgem sets the cap region by region, because the cost of running the local networks differs. On Direct Debit this quarter, Merseyside and North Wales has the highest unit rate (27.86p) and East Midlands the lowest (25.36p). Within a region, the cap is the same for every supplier.
What about Economy 7?
On Economy 7 you pay a cheaper rate for seven hours at night and more by day, and each supplier sets its own pair of rates. The cap only sets one average rate for it, so I can't price a night run from the cap. Your bill or your supplier's tariff page has your rates.