Research report
4 September 2017
Appliance running costs
We’ve estimated typical running costs for a range of heating, kitchen, lighting and general household appliances.
Where does it go? Is that what you wonder when you open the power bill? We’ve estimated typical running costs for a range of heating, kitchen, lighting and general household appliances so you can work out how to make the most effective savings in your home.
Always-on appliances
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Chargers
On standby
Appliances on standby get a bad rap for needlessly using power. However, while it’s true any power used on standby is wasted, it’s probably not as much as you might think.
We measured standby power consumed by technology and appliances we’ve tested and calculated the best and worst performers over a year.
| Appliance | Lowest ($)[width=medium] | Highest ($) |
|---|---|---|
| TVs (40-45”) | 0.04 | 0.05 |
| Blu-ray/DVD player | 0 | 0.05 |
| Home theatre system | 0.04 | 0.25 |
| Clothes dryer | 0.30 | 1.86 |
| Dishwasher | 0 | 2.29 |
| Games console | 2.47 | 3.38 |
| Sound bar | 0.78 | 4.87 |
| Microwave oven | 1.00 | 5.11 |
| Washing machine | 0 | 8.22 |
| Speaker dock | 0.65 | 20.56 |
| Multi-function printer | 0 | 127.94 |
Some technology products (TVs, Blu-ray players and home theatre systems) cost much less than a dollar each year on standby, no matter the model. A games console will cost you a couple of dollars, regardless of whether you choose an Xbox or PlayStation. However, in the case of some multi-function printers, the power used on standby varies significantly between models, from nothing at all to more than $10 every month.
TIP: The only sure way to kill standby energy use is by unplugging a device or turning it off at the wall when you aren’t using it.
Sky-high standby
Sky and Vodafone decoders are notorious for using almost as much power on standby as they do while you’re watching Game of Thrones. We found a decoder used 24.3W while in use, and 23.6W while on standby. Switching to standby seems to do little more than switching a blue LED to red. Sky says you shouldn’t turn off your set-top box as it needs to be updated regularly. A set-top box, even if left unwatched on standby all day, would use $53.75 in power each year. Add that to your Sky fee.
Cost of hot water
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Typical running costs
Bathroom
| Bathroom | Typical power use (watts)[width=medium] | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom heater - fan | 2400 | 61c /hour |
| Bathroom heater - infrared | 1100 | 28c /hour |
| Heated towel rail | 80 | 49c /day |
| Shower | 3750 | 85c /10 minutes |
| Bath (small / large) | 4500 / 7000 | $1.02 - $1.59 /bath |
Heating
| Appliance | Typical power use (watts)[width=medium] | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cupboard heater | 180 | $1.11 /day |
| Fan heater - 2kW | 2000 | 51c /hour |
| Fan heater - 2.4kW | 2400 | 61c /hour |
| Heat pump - 4.5kW heating output (min / max) | 1250 / 1800 | 32 - 46c /hour |
| Heated towel rail | 80 | 49c /day |
| Heater - one-bar | 1200 | 31c /hour |
| Heater - two-bar | 2400 | 61c /hour |
| Night-store heater - large | 3300 | 50c /hour |
| Night-store heater - medium | 2500 | 38c /hour |
| Night-store heater - small | 1700 | 26c /hour |
| Oil-filled heater - small | 1200 | 31c /hour |
| Oil-filled heater - medium | 2000 | 51c /hour |
| Oil-filled heater - large | 2400 | 61c /hour |
Kitchen
| Appliance | Typical power use (watts)[width=medium] | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Breadmaker | 500 | 9c /loaf |
| Cake mixer | 350 | 9c /hour |
| Carving knife | 230 | 6c /hour |
| Coffee percolator | 1400 | 1c /2 cups |
| Cooktop (per element) (min / max) | 1700 / 2200 | 44 - 51c /hour |
| Crockpot | 230 | 6c /8 hours |
| Dishes (15 litres hot water) | 16c /sink | |
| Dishwasher - 15 years old | 2000 | 46c /load |
| Dishwasher - new | 2000 | 31c /load |
| Electric frypan | 1250 | 32c /hour |
| Electric jug (min / max) | 1800 / 2400 | 3c /boil |
| Extraction fan | 40 | 1c /hour |
| Food processor | 375 | 10c /hour |
| Freezer - chest 164L | 20c /day | |
| Freezer - vertical 300L | 40c /day | |
| Fridge/freezer - 15 years old - 380L | 54c /day | |
| Fridge/freezer - 10 years old - 372L | 44c /day | |
| Fridge/freezer - new - 372L | 455 | 32c /day |
| Kitchen radio | 100 | 3c /hour |
| Microwave | 1000 | 2c /plate |
| Oven (roast) | 1900 | 38c /roast |
| Oven (scones) | 1900 | 13c /batch |
| Rangehood | 150 | 4c /hour |
| Toaster (2-slice) (min / max) | 850 / 1250 | 1.1 - 1.6c /load |
| Waste disposer | 373 / 746 | 1 - 2c /day |
Lights
| Appliance | Typical power use (watts)[width=medium] | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 40 watt bulb | 40 | 6c /6 hours |
| 60 watt bulb | 60 | 9c /6 hours |
| 100 watt bulb | 100 | 15c /6 hours |
| 150 watt bulb | 150 | 23c /6 hours |
| Compact fluorescent - 50 watt equivalent | 11 | 2c /6 hours |
| Compact fluorescent - 60 watt equivalent | 15 | 2c /6 hours |
| Compact fluorescent - 90 watt equivalent | 20 | 3c /6 hours |
| Fluorescent 1.2m | 40 | 6c /6 hours |
| Fluorescent 1.5m | 65 | 10c /6 hours |
| LED bulb – 60W equivalent | 9 | 1c /6 hours |
| LED bulb – 75W equivalent | 11 | 2c /6 hours |
| LED bulb – 100W equivalent | 14 | 2c /6 hours |
Laundry
| Appliance | Typical power use (watts)[width=medium] | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Clothes dryer - 5kg load | 1800 | $1.06 /load |
| Clothes dryer - 3.5kg load | 1800 | 86c /load |
| Ironing (min / max) | 1750 / 2400 | 45 - 61c /hour |
| Washing machine - front loader, cold wash (min / max) | 5 - 8c /load | |
| Washing machine - front loader, warm wash | 13c /load | |
| Washing machine - medium top loader, cold wash | 3c /load | |
| Washing machine - medium top loader, warm wash | 31c /load | |
| Washing machine - large top loader, cold wash | 4c /load | |
| Washing machine - large top loader, warm wash | 46c /load |
Other appliances
| Appliance | Typical power use (watts)[width=medium] | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and CRT monitor | 200 | 5c /hour |
| Computer and LCD monitor | 150 | 4c /hour |
| Dehumidifier (min / max) | 200 / 400 | $1.23 - $2.46 /24 hours |
| Vacuum cleaner | 1100 | 28c /hour |
| Digital alarm clock | 8 | 5c /day |
| DVD | 20 | 0.5c /hour |
| Electric blanket - double (min / max) | 80 / 200 | 2 - 5c /hour |
| Electric blanket - single (min / max) | 40 / 150 | 1 - 4c /hour |
| Fan | 200 | 5c /hour |
| Hair dryer | 1600 | 41c /hour |
| Power drill | 500 | 13c /hour |
| Security alarm | 5 | 3c /24 hours |
| Sewing machine | 200 | 5c /hour |
| Shaver | 15 | 0.3c /week |
| Stereo | 85 | 2c /hour |
| Television 29"/76cmv Tube type | 110 | 3c /hour |
| Television 32"/80cmv LCD | 128 | 3c /hour |
| Television 42"/107cmv Plasma | 445 | 11c /hour |
| Set top box (min / max) | 9 / 22 | 6 - 14c /day |
| Waterbed - queen size | 450 | 12c /day |
Energy ratings
If you’re shopping for a new whiteware appliance, TV, computer monitor or heat pump, you’ll see an Energy Rating label prominently displayed on the products.
The label shows a simple star rating – the more stars, the more energy-efficient the appliance. The label also features an annual energy consumption (kWh per year), calculated from average expected use.
When comparing models of the same type – for example, small top-mount fridge-freezers – the one with the most stars will be the cheapest to run. But if you’re comparing 2 appliances of different size or type – for example, a small top-mount with a large French-door fridge-freezer – you can’t compare stars and need to use the kWh per year figure to find the cheapest to run.
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