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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Electric Pressure Washer in the UK? (2026)
Electric pressure washers draw 1,300 to 2,500 watts but only while the trigger is pressed. An hour of washing typically uses about 1 kWh, and the water cost is often larger than the electricity.
A typical electric pressure washer (1,800 W) costs £0.47 per hour, or about £7.02 per month at 0.5 hours a day in United Kingdom. Average running cost
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (1,300 W) | £0.34 | £0.17 | £5.07 | £61.69 |
| Typical (1,800 W) | £0.47 | £0.23 | £7.02 | £85.41 |
| High (2,500 W) | £0.65 | £0.33 | £9.75 | £118.62 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.5 h/day ≈ 328 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 electric pressure washer costs £0.47 per hour and about £85.41 per year at 0.5 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 2.1 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a electric pressure washer
- Use the widest nozzle that does the job. Narrow nozzles do not use more electricity but take longer.
- Pretreat with detergent so you rinse rather than blast.
- Store it drained and indoors so the pump lasts.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a pressure washer for an hour?
Around 1 to 1.5 kWh of electricity plus 300 to 500 litres of water.
Do pressure washers use a lot of electricity?
Moderate per hour, but most people use them a few hours a year.
Electric or petrol pressure washer: which is cheaper to run?
Electric, both in energy and in maintenance.
Cost by region
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India