How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hair Dryer in Maine? (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 $0.53 per hour, or about $2.40 per month at 0.15 hours a day in Maine. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 1,200 W | $0.36 | $0.053 | $1.60 | $19.44 |
| Typical 1,800 W | $0.53 | $0.080 | $2.40 | $29.16 |
| High 2,200 W | $0.65 | $0.098 | $2.93 | $35.64 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.15 h/day ≈ 99 kWh per year.
One hour of a hair dryer (1.8 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 10km in an electric car
- 18hours of TV
- 40hours of a laptop
- 200hours of an LED bulb
In Maine, with electricity at 29.6¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical hair dryer costs $0.53 per hour and about $29.16 per year at 0.15 hours a day. That is about 61% more than the national average for the US ($1.49 per month), because electricity in Maine costs 29.6¢ per kWh against 18.3¢ nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 1.9 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
US states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Canadian provinces
Related appliances
- Hair Straightener60 W typical
- Electric Toothbrush Charger1 W typical
- Heated Towel Rail150 W typical
- Bathroom Exhaust Fan30 W typical
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz