How Much Does It Cost to Run a Treadmill in the UK? (2026)

A motorised treadmill draws 300 watts at a walking pace and up to 1,500 watts running at speed with a heavier user. A 45 minute session typically uses about half a kWh.

A typical treadmill (700 W) costs £0.18 per hour, or about £4.15 per month at 0.75 hours a day in the UK. Average running cost

Electricity price region

Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low 300 W	£0.079	£0.059	£1.78	£21.62
Typical 700 W	£0.18	£0.14	£4.15	£50.44
High 1,500 W	£0.39	£0.30	£8.88	£108.08

Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.75 h/day ≈ 192 kWh per year.

One hour of a treadmill (0.70 kWh) is the same electricity as

3.9km in an electric car
7.0hours of TV
16hours of a laptop
78hours of an LED bulb

Electricity per year at typical use, on a log scale: #50 of 95 appliances, from least to most.

In the UK, with electricity at 26.3p per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026, 2026-10), a typical treadmill costs £0.18 per hour and about £50.44 per year at 0.75 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 5.4 hours of use.

How to lower the cost of running a treadmill

Unplug it or use the power switch between workouts. Some models draw 3 to 5 watts idle.
Lubricate the belt on schedule. A dry belt makes the motor work harder.
Incline walking uses less motor power than fast running for a similar workout.

In standby it draws about 3 W, which adds roughly 26 kWh (£6.92) per year if it is never unplugged.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a treadmill for an hour?

Around 0.7 kWh at a moderate pace. Check the hourly figure above.

Do treadmills use a lot of electricity?

Moderate. Daily 45 minute use is about 15 kWh a month.

Is a manual treadmill cheaper?

It uses no electricity at all, but is harder to walk on.

Cost by region

US states

Canadian provinces

Related appliances

Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz