How much does it cost to run a heated clothes airer in the UK?
Price updated 9 July 2026 · Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep)
A typical heated clothes airer (300 W) used 3 hours a day, 4 days a week costs about £4.08 a month (£49.01 a year) at 26.11p/kWh.
A heated clothes airer is a low-wattage rack (typically 200–400W) that gently warms clothes to speed drying. Running one for three hours uses roughly 0.9 kWh — a fraction of a tumble dryer cycle. Pair it with a cover to trap the heat and it dries faster and cheaper still. It is one of the most popular tumble-dryer alternatives in the UK precisely because the running cost is so low, though it is slower and needs a little space.
Work out your own cost
About £4.08 a month · £49.01 a year
Uses about 188 kWh a year. Prefilled with the Ofgem cap of 26.11p/kWh — edit any box for your own figures.
Cost by model power
The same heated clothes airer can vary a lot between models, so here is the range from a low-power to a high-power example.
| Model | Power | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-power model | 200 W | 5.2p | 16p | £2.72 | £32.67 |
| Typical model | 300 W | 7.8p | 23p | £4.08 | £49.01 |
| High-power model | 400 W | 10p | 31p | £5.45 | £65.35 |
What changes the cost
- Low wattage (200–400W)
- How long you run it per load
- Using a cover to trap heat (much faster)
- Room ventilation to carry moisture away
Common questions
Is a heated airer cheaper than a tumble dryer?
Much cheaper per load — at 300W it uses roughly a fifth to a tenth of a conventional tumble dryer, though it takes longer and dries fewer clothes at once.
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