Which kitchen appliances cost the most to run?

Your kitchen is home to some of the most energy-hungry devices in your house, from your dishwasher to your fridge-freezer.

Broadly speaking, anything that heats or cools your home is likely to consume a lot of energy - and that includes everything from kettles to heaters to dishwashers.

In fact, washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers account for 14% of an average energy bill, according to the Energy Saving Trust. Cooking tends to account for 4% of your bill - and cooling food in fridges and freezers costs 13%.

So your kitchen is a pretty energy-hungry room, all told - but which appliances are worst?

We’ll go into a little more detail below - including how much these devices actually cost to run.

Which common kitchen devices are worst?

Under the government's existing Energy Price Guarantee, electricity is fixed at 34p per kilowatt-hour until the end of June 2023.

A kilowatt-hour or kwh is a unit of how much energy is used; it refers to the amount of energy used by consuming one kilowatt constantly for an hour.

To calculate power usage, we’ve used information from energy consultancy Carbon Footprint on the average power usage of home appliances, and calculated prices using the Energy Price Guarantee.

Your exact power usage may differ from this, based on the model of appliance you use and - of course - how frequently you use it.

How much does your dishwasher use?

Your dishwasher is a very power-hungry device - but you can significantly cut energy use (and the price you pay) by changing its settings.

Carbon Footprint says that if you use a typical dishwasher which consumes 1.07kWh per use, it will cost £40.01 per year, based on 110 uses at the normal setting.

If you use it on the hotter pot-washing setting, it uses 1.44kWh per use, adding up to £58.85 per year, based on 110 uses.

On the pot washing setting, your dishwasher costs 48p per wash, and at 55 degrees, it costs roughly 36p.

Using ‘eco’ mode will use the coolest water possible, saving you money and helping the planet.

How much does your kettle use?

Despite the amount of steam a kettle emits while in use, it’s actually not among the ‘worst’ appliances in your home in terms of how much energy you use.

If you’re heating a litre of water, each boil costs around 0.11kwh, costing you just 3p.

But that adds up significantly if you keep boiling the kettle: if you use it three times per day, it adds up to £40.90 per year, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

To cut costs, don’t overfill the kettle.

How much does your cooker use?

Cookers - unsurprisingly - consume a lot of energy, and your bill for a combined electric hob and oven can add up to more than £50 per year on its own.

An electric oven costs £71.60 per year, based on 135 uses per year at 1.56kWH per use.

An electric hob comes out at £102.60, based on 424 uses per year, at 0.71kWh per use.

You can keep costs down by batch-cooking meals and microwaving food when you need it.

How much does your fridge-freezer use?

Fridge-freezers are on 24 hours a day, and that adds up over the long haul.

Depending on the energy rating of your unit, they can cost between £70.04 and £138.72 per year (with an A++ spec fridge-freezer burning 206kWh per year and an A spec fridge freezer burning 408 kWh per year).

There’s not a huge amount you can do about these costs except to ensure you buy the most energy efficient model you can.

How much does your microwave use?

Microwaves are far less power-hungry than ovens, consuming on average 0.945 kWH per use, which comes out as £30.84 per year, based on 96 uses per year.