Are you curious to know how much your appliances will cost to run in 2024, especially after the latest energy price cap?
The current energy price cap stands at £1,690 per year (effective from the 1st April 2024 until the 30th June 2024). This represents a decrease of £238 from the previous cap of £1,928, which was effective from 1st January to 31st March 2024.
However, it’s important to be aware that this is not a cap on the total figure you pay, but the unit cost per kWh, i.e., the £1,690 cap only applies to households with typical usage.
This means you will pay 24.50p/kWh for electricity and 6.04p/kWh for gas, inclusive of VAT, from 1st April 2024 until 30th June 2024.
Check out our full guide on the cost of electricity per kWh and whether you should fix your energy bills.
How Much Power Do Average Appliances Use & Cost To Run In The UK?
The table below shows the estimated cost you can expect to pay to power a range of household appliances in the UK.
This is based on the average power rating of some of the most common appliances.
We have provided the estimated cost per hour, as well as the cost per 10 minutes of use, to provide a more helpful estimation for certain appliances e.g. a microwave, which you are unlikely to use for a full hour.
| Appliance | Daily Active Cost | Daily Standby Cost | Annual Standby Cost |
| Kettle | £20.38 | £0.0001 | £0.74 |
| Tumble Dryer | £30.56 | £0.02 | £6.45 |
| Dishwasher | £8.66 | £0.02 | £7.44 |
| Washing machine | £14.26 | £0.02 | £6.45 |
| Phone Charger | £0.03 | £0 | £0.64 |
| Microwave | £10.19 | £0.02 | £5.95 |
| Fridge-freezer | £0.16 | £0.16 | £56.89 |
| Fridge (150 W)** | £0.16 | £0.16 | £56.89 |
| Desktop computer | £3.06 | £0.04 | £13.39 |
| Games console | £1.36 | £0.08 | £27.52 |
| LCD TV (120 W) | £1.22 | £0.02 | £5.70 |
| Laptop (50 W) | £0.68 | £0.03 | £10.41 |
| Modem | £0.07 | £0.05 | £19.09 |
Please note: some appliances do not run for 24 hours e.g. your fridge freezer will cycle on and off and so it will not cost 24 times the above figures.
How Much Electricity Does a Washing Machine Use?
The average washing machine in the UK is around 2,100 watts, which is equal to 2.1 kWh, working out at about £1.09 per hour or 17p for 10 minutes.
How Much Electricity Does a TV Use Per Hour? (UK)
It depends on the type of TV you use.
For example, the average standard LCD TV is an estimated 120 watts and consumes 0.12 kWh, so it costs around 6p an hour to power.
However, if you have a plasma TV, these average around 350 watts and take around 0.35 kWh, so it will cost around 8p an hour to power.
How Much Electricity Does a Light Bulb Use?
It depends on the type of light bulb being used since they have different wattage.
For example, your average non-energy efficient 100 watt light bulb will consume 0.1 kWh meaning it will cost 5.2p an hour to power.
However, if you are using an LED bulb these can be as low as 4 watts, so they will use nowhere near as much energy to power per hour in comparison.
In this case, an LED bulb at 4 watts will consume just 0.004 kWh meaning it will cost just 2.1p an hour to power.
How Much Does a Fridge Freezer Cost to Run?
The running costs of a fridge freezer depend on its efficiency ratings, its size (measured in litres), how it’s used and other features that may use additional energy.
However, an energy efficiency rating can provide an estimation, but in order to understand the true costs, it’s important to make some practical comparisons….
For example, if you compare two similar sized fridge freezers that are both A-rated (the most efficient), it will cost an estimated 10p a day to run, compared with a D rating model, which will cost you around 21p a day to run, while a fridge freezer with an F rating (the least efficient) will cost around 39p a day.
However, if you are comparing fridge freezer models that are different sizes (typically measured in litres) but the same energy efficiency rating, the larger model will likely cost more to run, which can cause some confusion, since many people think the energy efficiency rating is all that matters.
For example, this means that a slim line or small F-rated fridge freezer might be more efficient than a large American-style E-rated one.
So to summarise, as the energy rating is categorised by size, opting for a smaller fridge will use less energy than a larger fridge with the same energy rating, and may even use less than a higher-rated one.
A quick trick is to compare the total energy consumption of appliances by checking out their annual energy consumption in kWh/annum – you can find this on the rating scale below the energy label.
Recommended reading:
- Should I fix my energy bills?
- How much should my energy go up?
- UK Energy Security Strategy Explained
- Where does the UK get its gas from?
- Average carbon footprint per household UK
What Can You Do To See Exactly How Much Energy You Are Using?
The above table is simply an estimation based on UK averages, so in order to truly know how much power/energy you are using, you can employ some modern technology to help.
These are not necessarily the same as smart meters and they will provide you with more information. However, many modern smart meters also act as energy monitors.
For example, they can tell you how much energy you are using each hour and compare your usage over time, allowing you to compare your daily, weekly and monthly power usage.
Interested in finding out how much a new boiler uses in energy each day? Check out our full breakdown here.
Appliance Running Costs Calculator UK
The above table provides an indication of the appliance running costs for many of the most popular appliances used in the UK.
Please bear in mind that the energy price cap changes twice a year and your energy tariff will vary.
As a result, we always recommend that you refer to your energy bills and smart meter to see exactly how much energy you are using.