How much does a heated airer cost to run?
About 32p a run on a standard tariff, or around £49 a year at 3 times a week. Less at the right time on a time-of-use tariff.
Today's cost where you live
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A heated clothes airer is a low-power heater you hang washing on. At around 300 watts it costs pennies an hour, but it runs for several hours, so a load isn't free. It's still much cheaper than a tumble dryer, and it helps warm the room a little too.
How we work it out
A typical heated airer uses about 1.2kWh for about 300w for 4 hours, taking around 4 hours. Electricity on a standard variable tariff costs about 26p a unit across Great Britain at the moment (it varies a little by region), so one run comes to about 32p. Your own model may use more or less: the energy label, or a plug-in energy monitor, will tell you.
If you're on a tariff where the price changes through the day, such as Agile Octopus, Economy 7 or an electric car tariff, the same run can cost much less at the right time. The Cheap Watts tool finds that time for you on your own tariff.
How to spend less
- Put a cover over it. A cover traps the warm air and can halve the drying time.
- Spin washing well before hanging it, and spread things out so air gets round them.
- Run it in a room with the door closed and a window on the latch, or use a dehumidifier, to stop damp building up.
Worth a look
- Dehumidifier with a laundry mode (Amazon, opens in a new tab)
Dries washing indoors cheaply and stops the damp that comes with it.
- Smart plug with energy monitoring (Amazon, opens in a new tab)
Measure what your own appliance really uses per run, instead of the typical figure.
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