What does it cost to run an appliance, and how do housemates split it?
Short answer
Multiply the appliance's power in kilowatts by the hours it runs and the price of a kWh. At the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a 2 kW heater costs about 52.6p an hour. The standing charge is a separate daily fee, paid however little you use.
Updated
52.6p
An hour for a 2 kW heater at the Great Britain average Direct Debit rate
1 October to 31 December 2026
7.9p
An hour for a 300 W heated airer
54.83p
Daily electricity standing charge, Great Britain average, whatever you use
In a rented home or a house share, electricity is paid for by the kWh, so a heater, an airer or a tumble dryer shows up on the bill everyone shares. This page works out what each one costs at Ofgem's cap rates, keeps the standing charge apart, and shows how the cost divides between housemates.
Work out what an appliance costs to run
Enter the appliance's power and how long it runs. The cost uses Ofgem's cap rate for your region and the way you pay, with the standing charge shown on its own.
On the rating plate or in the manual. 1 kW is 1,000 W.
How long it runs on a day you use it. Half an hour is 0.5.
Leave this at 1 if nobody shares the bill with you.
Your region follows the local electricity network, not your supplier. Ofgem's postcode lookup names it.
Running cost
- an hour
- 52.6p
- a day of use
- £1.58
- a week
- £11.05
- a month
- £48.03
At 26.32p per kWh, the Great Britain average cap rate (Direct Debit).
Standing charge: 54.83p a day, about £16.68 a month. You pay it whether or not this appliance runs, so it is not in the figures above.
This assumes the appliance draws its full rated power for every hour it runs. A thermostat or a lower setting uses less.
Cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026, from Ofgem's regional tables. New cap rates apply from 1 January 2027. Ofgem's cap covers England, Scotland and Wales, not Northern Ireland.
How to split bills with housematesAppliance running costs at a glance
| Appliance | Power or energy (maker's figure) | Cost at 26.32p per kWh, 1 October to 31 December 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Fan heater | 2,000 W (Dimplex DXUC2BS) | 52.6p an hour on full power |
| Convector heater | 2,000 W (Dimplex HeatLite) | 52.6p an hour on full power |
| Oil-filled radiator | 2,000 W top setting, 900 W lowest (De'Longhi Radia S) | 52.6p an hour on full power, 23.7p on the lowest setting |
| Panel heater | 1,500 W (Devola-M 1500W) | 39.5p an hour on full power |
| Heated airer | 300 W (Lakeland Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier) | 7.9p an hour |
| Dehumidifier | 157 W at 20°C and 60% humidity (Meaco 12L Low Energy) | 4.1p an hour |
| Condenser tumble dryer | 4.71 kWh a full load of cottons (Beko DCUS81, 8kg) | £1.24 a full load |
| Heat pump tumble dryer | 1.44 kWh a full load of cottons (Beko B3T4824D, 8kg) | 37.9p a full load |
| Electric blanket | 150 W while it heats up (Dreamland Intelliheat) | 3.9p an hour at that power, less once it turns down |
How do I work out what an appliance costs to run?
Power times hours times the price of a kWh. The rest is getting each number right.
- Find the power in watts on the appliance's rating plate or in its manual, and divide by 1,000 to get kilowatts (kW). A 2,000 W heater is 2 kW.
- Multiply by the hours it runs to get kilowatt hours (kWh): 2 kW for 3 hours is 6 kWh.
- Multiply the kWh by your unit rate. Under Ofgem's cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, the Great Britain average for Direct Debit is 26.32p per kWh of electricity, so 6 kWh costs about £1.58.
- Your own region's Direct Debit cap rate runs from 25.36p in the East Midlands to 27.86p in Merseyside and North Wales. Standard credit costs more per kWh and prepayment a little less.
- Electricity carries no VAT in Great Britain from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, and Ofgem's cap rates already include that change.
- These costs use the cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026. New cap rates apply from 1 January 2027, and a fixed tariff keeps the rates in its contract.
Sources: Ofgem: changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026 (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026); GOV.UK: temporary zero rate of VAT on domestic electricity in Great Britain (read 15 October 2026)
What do common appliances cost to run?
The makers' own power ratings, priced at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026. The table above sets them side by side.
- A 2 kW fan heater such as the Dimplex DXUC2BS costs about 52.6p an hour on its top setting, the same as a 2 kW convector heater.
- De'Longhi's Radia S oil-filled radiator tops out at 2,000 W, about 52.6p an hour, and its lowest setting is 900 W, about 23.7p.
- A 1.5 kW panel heater such as the Devola-M 1500W costs about 39.5p an hour.
- Lakeland's Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier heated airer is rated at 300 W, about 7.9p an hour, and Meaco's 12L Low Energy dehumidifier draws 157 W in a room at 20°C and 60% humidity, about 4.1p.
- A tumble dryer is better priced per load: Beko's 8kg condenser dryer uses 4.71 kWh for a full load of cottons, about £1.24, and its 8kg heat pump dryer 1.44 kWh, about 37.9p.
- Dreamland says its Intelliheat electric blankets heat up on 150 W, about 3.9p an hour at that power, then adjust their energy use.
Sources: Dimplex: DXUC2BS upright ceramic fan heater, 2kW (read 15 October 2026); Dimplex: HeatLite convector heater, 2kW (read 15 October 2026); De'Longhi: Radia S oil-filled radiator (TRRS0920C) (read 15 October 2026); Devola: Devola-M 1500W panel heater (read 15 October 2026); Lakeland: Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier Heated Airer instruction booklet (read 15 October 2026); Meaco: 12L Low Energy dehumidifier (read 15 October 2026); Beko: DCUS81 8kg condenser tumble dryer (read 15 October 2026); Beko: B3T4824D 8kg heat pump tumble dryer (read 15 October 2026); Dreamland: Intelliheat technology (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026)
Why is the standing charge not part of an appliance's running cost?
Because you pay it every day, whether anything is switched on or not.
- Ofgem describes the standing charge as a charge you pay every day even if you do not use any energy that day, so no appliance makes it go up or down.
- Under the cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, the Great Britain average electricity standing charge is 54.83p a day by Direct Debit, about £16.68 a month, and gas adds 29.68p a day.
- By region, the Direct Debit electricity standing charge runs from 42.92p a day in London to 67.66p in Merseyside and North Wales.
- In a shared home, splitting the standing charge and splitting what each appliance uses are separate decisions: the standing charge pays for everyone's connection.
- Switching the central heating off does not stop the gas standing charge while the gas supply stays connected.
Sources: Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026)
How should housemates split the cost of one person's heater?
Agree it with whoever's name is on the bill, and keep the standing charge out of it.
- Shelter's guidance for England says the person or people named on a bill are usually responsible for paying it, so agree any split with the account holder.
- An equal split is simplest when everyone uses about the same amount.
- When one housemate runs a heater all day, price it with the calculator above. A 2 kW heater run for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, costs about £68.62 a month at 26.32p per kWh (Taupia arithmetic).
- Shared equally in a house of 4, that is about £17.16 each; the other way is for the housemate who runs it to cover it.
- Leave the standing charge out of that adjustment: everyone pays it whether or not the heater runs.
Sources: Shelter England: bills in a shared house (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026)
Do these cap rates apply to my home?
- Ofgem bases its cap averages on England, Scotland and Wales, and the cap limits default tariffs there. In Northern Ireland, multiply by the unit rate on your own bill.
- A fixed tariff is not covered by the cap: it keeps the rates in its contract, so use those.
- Economy 7 and other multi-rate meters have their own capped rates in Ofgem's tables, and an appliance run at night is charged at the night rate. Use the rates on your bill.
- Whatever your tariff, the sum works the same way: kilowatts times hours times your unit rate.
Sources: Ofgem: changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026 (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026)
How do I use the running cost calculator?
Five steps from the appliance's wattage to its cost per person.
- 1
Find the appliance's power
Look for the watts on its rating plate or in the manual, or start from one of the examples in the calculator.
- 2
Enter how long it runs
Add the hours it runs on a day you use it and the number of days a week you use it.
- 3
Choose your region and how you pay
Pick your electricity region and payment method, so the cost uses that cap rate.
- 4
Add the people sharing the bill
Add your housemates to see the appliance's cost and the standing charge per person.
- 5
Read the cost and the standing charge
The cost shows per hour, per day of use, per week and per month, with the standing charge listed on its own.
Sources: Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026)
How can Taupia help with running costs in a shared home?
- Taupia keeps your energy, broadband, mobile and water bills in one place and splits each one between housemates.
- Your household sets the split rule: each person gets a percentage of a bill, so a housemate who runs a heater all day can carry a bigger share of the energy bill.
- Taupia tracks who has paid their share. It never moves money between housemates.
- It compares energy deals from 19 suppliers covering around 90% of the GB market, and switches only once your household approves.
- Taupia is free.
Questions about appliance running costs
How much does it cost to run a 2 kW heater for an hour?
About 52.6p at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026. By region it runs from about 50.7p in the East Midlands to 55.7p in Merseyside and North Wales. A thermostat that switches the heater off for part of the hour cuts the cost.
Is it cheaper to heat one room with an electric heater than to use gas central heating?
Per unit of heat, gas is cheaper. At the cap's average Direct Debit rates, a kWh of electricity costs 26.32p and a kWh of heat from a 90% efficient gas boiler about 8.86p. A heater only saves money when the central heating would have produced about 3 times as much heat or more.
Should the standing charge be included in an appliance's running cost?
No. You pay the standing charge every day whether or not the appliance runs, so adding it to one appliance overstates its cost. Under the cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, the Great Britain average electricity standing charge is 54.83p a day by Direct Debit. In a shared home, split it separately from usage.
Will these running costs change on 1 January 2027?
They change if the cap's unit rate does. These figures use Ofgem's cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026, and new cap rates apply from 1 January 2027. Ofgem publishes each new cap before it applies, and the energy price cap guide on this site shows the latest confirmed figures.
How much does a heated airer cost to run?
A 300 W airer such as Lakeland's Dry:Soon Deluxe 3-Tier costs about 7.9p an hour at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026, so 6 hours costs about 47.4p.
Does the price cap apply in Northern Ireland?
No. Ofgem's cap and the rates on this page cover default tariffs in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, multiply the appliance's kilowatts by the hours it runs and the unit rate on your own bill. Electricity there keeps the reduced rate of VAT rather than the zero rate.
Running costs, appliance by appliance
Guides for the appliances that cost most to run in a rented home, and the rates behind them.
Start here
What an electric heater costs to run
RecommendedFan, convector, oil-filled and panel heaters per hour, against gas central heating.
What drying clothes indoors costs
Heated airer, dehumidifier or tumble dryer, per hour and per load.
What an electric blanket costs to run
The cost per hour and per month, and the safety checks to make each winter.
Energy price cap rates by region
The unit rate and standing charge in your own region, for each way of paying.
How to split bills with housemates
Fair ways to divide a shared bill, with a calculator for the even split.
What a kilowatt hour is
The unit every running cost on this page is worked out in.
Cite this page
Taupia. "What does it cost to run an appliance, and how do housemates split it?". Last updated 15 October 2026. https://taupia.com/compare-energy-prices/appliance-running-costs
Sharing the bill with housemates?
Taupia splits each bill between housemates by the percentages your household sets and tracks who has paid, without moving any money. It compares energy deals from 19 suppliers covering around 90% of the GB market. It is free, and nothing changes without your approval.