Site Prices Update
Last Updated28th June 2022
All calculations on this site are based on current fuel prices, they are checked regularly and calculations are automatically updated.
The costs calculated based on these fuel prices should be regarded as 'good estimates', given that fuel prices vary in different parts of the county and at different time of the year.
The calculations also have different levels of accuracy depending on the nature of the calculation. For example calculating the energy use of a known power output TV is very easy compared to calculating the effect on energy savings when insulating a cavity wall.
Site Calculations
Set Your Own Prices
User PricesFor several of the fuel prices on this site you can now set your own prices and all the calculations on the site will adjust accordingly.
Set Prices
At Confused About Energy we aim to provide practical, impartial advice on all aspects of energy usage, climate change and ways to save money on energy bills.
All calculations on this site are based on current fuel prices they are checked regularly are automatically updated and were last changed on:-
28th June 2022
The costs calculated based on these fuel prices should be regarded as 'good estimates', given that fuel prices vary in different parts of the county and at different time of the year.
The calculations also have different levels of accuracy depending on the nature of the calculation. For example calculating the energy use of a known power output TV is very easy compared to calculating the effect on energy savings when insulating a cavity wall.
Site Calculations
| Electricity | £0.271 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Economy Electricity | £0.094 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Gas | £0.072 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Domestic LPG | £0.122 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Heating Oil | £0.104 per unit (1 kWh) |
| UK Grid CO2 Emissions | 0.233 kg per kWh used |
The main units used in this site are in the table below, For a complete explanation of power and energy Read More.
| Unit | Name | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| W | Watt | Unit of Power |
| kW | Kilowatt | 1000 watts |
| kWh | Kilowatt hour | Measure of Energy |
| L | Litre | Measure of Volume |
Please use twitter to ask a question Message @@EnergyThinking
How much does it cost to use a hairdryer?
A hairdryer is a high power device, they have to be to dry your hair! However there are many different dryer power ratings and in different countries the power rating is limited by the supply voltage of the territory. In the USA and Canada for example they use 120 volts for mains electricity, supply in the UK, most of Europe and in fact most of the rest of the world they use 230 or 240 volts. Have a look here for the worlds voltages and plug types
One upshot of this is that in the USA and Canada your European hairdryer is unlikely to work effectively if at all. But you can buy travel hairdryers that will cope with both, they are just not very powerfull.
In the USA Hairdryers tend to be limited to 1875 Watts even though this slightly edges them over the 15 amp circuits used there. In the UK and Europe They can go up to 3000 Watt in theory on a 13amp socket, however they tend to be about 2200 Watts and smaller dryers are rated at 1200W.
In the table below we have included a 1200W and 2400W device and for comparison a typical USA/Canadian Hairdryer rated at 1875W.
| Hair Dryer | 5 minutes use | 5 minutes use each day for a year | 10 minutes use | 10 minutes use each day for a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical Low Power UK/European Hair Dryer 1200 Watts |
0.1 kWh £0.027 (0kg) |
36.5 kWh £9.892 (8.5kg) |
0.2 kWh £0.054 (0kg) |
73 kWh £19.783 (17kg) |
| Typical Higher Power UK/European Hair Dryer 2400 Watts |
0.2 kWh £0.054 (0kg) |
73 kWh £19.783 (17kg) |
0.4 kWh £0.108 (0.1kg) |
146 kWh £39.566 (34kg) |
| Typical USA/Canadian Hairdryer 1875 Watts ** |
0.156 kWh £0.042 (0kg) |
57 kWh £15.447 (13.3kg) |
0.312 kWh £0.085 (0.1kg) |
114 kWh £30.894 (26.6kg) |
** The values for cost are in UK pounds so will not the useful to American readers of this site and CO2 values are also only applicable to UK electricity generation. There is a calculator in the side bar of this page where you can add you own values to calculate cost where you are.
Well can you dry your hair without a dryer? This would be the best way to save a bit of money and reduce that carbon footprint, easy for me to say my hair is only 1cm long! I keep it short as I swim so much.
Comments and Questions