Page last updated on 16th March 2026
What consumes more electricity at home?
Are air fryers really as energy efficient as people claim? Are heated clothes drying racks more cost-effective than a tumble dryer? How much does it actually cost to run an electric blanket? What consumes more electricity at home? With a smart meter display, you can find out which household gadgets really are energy efficient.
What's on this page?
- Which appliances use the more electricity?
- Heated drying rack versus tumble dryer
- Air fryer versus oven
- Electric blanket versus electric heater
- How to find out which appliances are using the most electricity
- Get a smart meter
Read on for practical energy-saving tips at home to help you cut costs and reduce your consumption.
Which appliances use more electricity at home?
Knowing which appliances use the most energy at home can help you better manage your energy usage. Our survey showed that more than half of us (56%) are investing in new household gadgets to help reduce our energy costs and save money in the future.*
That's why we've tested six popular household appliances and devices to find out which ones use less energy with this formula:
Power rating of the appliance (kWh) X unit cost for your electricity (£) X how long you use the appliance for (hours)
Heated drying rack vs. Tumble dryer
Heated drying rack
Heated clothes airers generally use between 0.2 - 0.3 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy. This means that a standard ten-hour drying session would cost between 51p and 77p.**
(0.2-0.3 kWh power rating x 10 hours use x £0.2635 kWh energy price cap)
Tumble dryer
On average, tumble dryers use between 1.8 - 5 kWh of energy. This means that a one-hour cycle would cost you between 46p and £1.29.**
(1.8-5.0 kWh power rating x 1 hour use x £0.2635 kWh energy price cap)
Air Fryer vs. Oven
Air fryer
The average air fryer uses between 1.4 and 1.7 kWh of energy. This means that having the air fryer on for an hour will cost you between 36p and 44p.**
(1.4-1.7 kWh power rating x 1 hour use x £0.2635 kWh energy price cap).
Oven
The average oven uses about 2 - 5 kWh of energy. This means that preheating your oven for 15 minutes and cooking your food for an hour will cost you between 64p and £1.61.**
(2.0-5.0 kWh power rating x 1.25 hours use x £0.2635 kWh energy price cap).
Electric blanket vs. Electric heater
Electric blanket
Electric blankets use around 0.15 kWh of energy. This means using an electric blanket will cost you about 39p per hour.**
(0.15 kWh power rating x 1 hour use x £0.2635 kWh energy price cap).
Electric heaters
On average, electric heaters use around 2.5 kWh. Which equals 64p per hour.**
(2.5 kWh power rating x 1 hour use x £0.2635 kWh energy price cap).
Measure electricity usage: how to find out which appliances are using the most electricity
The appliances mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. With a smart meter in-home display, you can use your total energy use data to work out how much energy other household items—like your toaster or microwave—use too.
Smart meters come with an in-home display that shows your energy use in near real-time. You can use this to measure the energy consumption of any appliance connected to your gas or electricity supply.
Just remember to check and note your current usage before switching on the appliance you want to monitor.
Can smart meters tell what appliances you are using?
Smart meters cannot tell which specific appliances you’re using, but they can help you understand your appliances’ energy use by showing your total energy use in near real-time on the in-home display.
Step-by-step: how to check which appliances use the most electricity
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Find your baseline
Start by turning off all your non-essential items, so maybe you just have your internet router and fridge freezer on. This gives you a baseline level of energy usage which you can compare with other devices – write this figure down. Your in-home display can measure energy usage (in kWh) or cost (in pounds and pence), so it’s up to you how you'd like to measure it.
Make sure nobody else in your home is turning devices off or on while testing as this could change the results.
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Turn on the appliance you want to test
Time to turn on that electric blanket. Once you do, pay attention to your in-home display and wait until it updates you on how much energy you're using. It only takes a few seconds for your in-home display to update on electric usage. Gas usage takes longer, about 30 minutes.
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Compare the differences
You can work out how much energy your device is using by comparing your original baseline measurement from your in-home display with what it is now showing on your device.
For example, if your in-home display was showing your electricity usage was costing you £0.14p per hour, but when you switched on the electric blanket your consumption increased to £0.19p per hour, the difference in cost is 5p per hour. This means your electric blanket is costing you 5p per hour to run.
How much could I pay to run household appliances?
The appliance energy calculator below will show how the price cap change could affect the cost of using everyday household appliances. Simply update the drop-down buttons with your estimated usage to see the costs.
The energy calculator below will show how the price cap change could affect the cost of using everyday household appliances. Simply update the drop-down buttons with your estimated usage to see the costs.
The calculator below will show a cost estimate for the current price cap (January-March 2026), and compare that to the previous price cap (October-December 2025), and the price cap before that (July-September 2025). So, you can see how your energy bills might have changed over time.
Please note: The electricity used by domestic appliances can vary depending on make and model, so we’ve used average power ratings. We have also used the price cap figures for a standard variable rate, so this calculator doesn't take into consideration any fixed tariffs or additional costs.
This calculator was last updated on 01/01/2026.
How will the price cap increase affect my bills?
£43
Cost per month
Based on the current energy price cap
+£2
Compared to the previous price cap
(Oct-Dec 2025)
+£3
Compared to the price cap before the previous
(Jul-Sep 2025)
Want to find out more?
*Research carried out by OnePoll for Smart Energy GB of 2,000 nationally representative GB adults between the 3rd to 7th of March 2023.
**Electricity costs are calculated using the price cap electricity rate of £0.26 per kWh July 2025.