How much does an iron cost to run?
About 16p a run on a standard tariff, or around £16 a year at 2 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 steam iron draws a lot of power, around 2 to 3 kilowatts, but it only heats for a few minutes in each half hour of ironing. Half an hour of ironing costs about the same as a cup of tea's worth of kettle.
How we work it out
A typical iron uses about 0.6kWh for steam iron for 30 minutes, taking around 30 minutes. 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 16p. 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
- Iron in one go rather than in lots of short sessions, so the iron heats up once.
- Start with things that need the lowest temperature and work up.
- Take washing out of the dryer or off the line promptly and fold it: half of it won't need ironing.
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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