How much does a bread maker cost to run?
About 11p a run on a standard tariff, or around £11 a year at 2 times a week. Less at the right time on a time-of-use tariff.
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A bread maker spends most of its three-hour cycle kneading and proving, which uses almost nothing, and only heats for the last hour or so. A loaf costs well under a unit of electricity to bake, usually less than heating the oven for the same job.
How we work it out
A typical bread maker uses about 0.4kWh for one loaf on a basic programme, taking around 3 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 11p. 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
- Use a delay timer so the loaf finishes when you get up, and run the bake in your cheap hours if you have them.
- Bake two loaves back to back if your machine is already warm.
Worth a look
- 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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