How much does a heated clothes airer cost to run?
About 7.9p an hour in the UK and 5.5¢ an hour in the US. A heated clothes airer draws about 300 W for as long as it is on. No thermostat on most models, so it draws its full rating for as long as it is on — a cover over the load dries it faster and saves hours.
What it costs, by how long it runs
| Running for | kWh | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 0.05 | 1.3p | 0.92¢ |
| An hour | 0.3 | 7.9p | 5.5¢ |
| An 8-hour night | 2.4 | 63p | 44¢ |
| A full day (24 hours) | 7.2 | £1.90 | $1.32 |
| A month at 8 hours a day | 72 | £18.95 | $13.20 |
UK prices use the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 (direct debit, average across England, Scotland and Wales, with no VAT on electricity this winter): 26.32p per kWh (Ofgem). The standing charge of 54.83p a day is paid whatever you run, so it is left out. US prices use the US average residential price for June 2026 from the Energy Information Administration: 18.34¢ per kWh (EIA). Your own tariff is on your bill; scale the figures by it.
Measure your own
These are typical figures for a typical unit. A plug-in energy monitor between the socket and the appliance shows the real watts and adds up the kWh, so after a day or a week you know exactly what it costs on your tariff.
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Average W | UK per hour | US per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby monitor | 6 | 0.16p | 0.11¢ |
| Aquarium, 100 litre | 24 | 0.63p | 0.44¢ |
| Hair straighteners | 24 | 0.63p | 0.44¢ |
| LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs) | 35 | 0.92p | 0.64¢ |
| Garden inflatable (Christmas or Halloween) | 50 | 1.3p | 0.92¢ |
| Dehumidifier, 12 L/day | 150 | 3.9p | 2.8¢ |
| Well pump (1/2 hp) | 200 | 5.3p | 3.7¢ |
| Cordless mower battery charger | 200 | 5.3p | 3.7¢ |
| Incandescent Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs) | 204 | 5.4p | 3.7¢ |
| Sump pump | 240 | 6.3p | 4.4¢ |
| Heated clothes airer | 300 | 7.9p | 5.5¢ |
| Hair dryer | 1,800 | 47p | 28¢ |
| Electric car (3-pin "granny" charger) | 2,300 | 61p | 26¢ |
Running it in a power cut
See which power station will run a heated clothes airer, and for how long.
Appliance draw modelled on www.lakeland.co.uk. Lakeland’s instruction booklet for the Dry:Soon 3-tier airer (model 21736) states 300 W at 230 V. Smaller airers draw less; the booklet names no thermostat, so the draw is taken as continuous.
Did this match what you measured?
Nothing is sent anywhere unless analytics is switched on, and no text is collected.