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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hair Dryer in the UK? (2026)
Hair dryers are among the highest-wattage appliances in the house, but they run for minutes. Ten minutes a day at 1,800 watts is about 0.3 kWh.
A typical hair dryer (1,800 W) costs £0.47 per hour, or about £2.11 per month at 0.15 hours a day in United Kingdom. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (1,200 W) | £0.31 | £0.047 | £1.40 | £17.08 |
| Typical (1,800 W) | £0.47 | £0.070 | £2.11 | £25.62 |
| High (2,200 W) | £0.57 | £0.086 | £2.57 | £31.32 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.15 h/day ≈ 99 kWh per year.
In the UK, with electricity at £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), a typical hair dryer costs £0.47 per hour and about £25.62 per year at 0.15 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 2.1 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a hair dryer
- Towel dry first to cut drying time in half.
- Use a lower heat setting with high airflow.
- Keep the intake filter clean so the motor does not strain.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to use a hair dryer for 10 minutes?
About 0.3 kWh, a few cents almost anywhere.
Do hair dryers use a lot of electricity?
Per minute yes, per year no. Even daily use is under 100 kWh a year.
Is a lower wattage hair dryer cheaper to run?
It draws less but takes longer, so the total energy per dry is similar.
Cost by region
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India