Cost to run an clothes iron
Each 30 minutes use of an clothes iron drawing 1,500 W costs 19.7p at 26.32p/kWh. Used 1 use a day of 30 minutes, 2 days a week, that comes to £1.72 a month.
Each use costs
19.7p a use
That is 0.75 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £1.72 a month and £20.59 a year.
On the label or in the manual.
Standby, thermostats and off-peak use
Drawn while plugged in and not running.
| Period | Cost | Energy | CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|
| A use | 19.7p | 0.75 kWh | 163 g |
| A day, on average | 5.64p | 0.21 kWh | 47 g |
| A month | £1.72 | 6.52 kWh | 1.4 kg |
| A year | £20.59 | 78.2 kWh | 17 kg |
How we calculated this
Energy is power multiplied by time: 1,500 W for 30 minutes uses 0.75 kWh each time.
The typical figure is the average rating Centre for Sustainable Energy gives for an iron, and the low and high figures are the ends of Virginia Tech’s nameplate range. An iron’s thermostat switches its element off when it is hot enough, so it draws less than its rating on average.
The starting use for an clothes iron, 1 use a day of 30 minutes, 2 days a week, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.
Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.
Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.
What drives the cost
An clothes iron draws 1,500 W while its element is on, and a session of 30 minutes uses 0.75 kWh and costs 19.7p. It is a small cost each time, but ironing everything adds up.
Also called: iron, steam iron.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For an clothes iron used as typical (1 use a day of 30 minutes, 2 days a week), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | A use |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | 19.7p |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | 13.6¢ |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €0.30 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 0,29 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 0,19 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 0,20 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 0,22 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 0,19 |
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clothes iron | 1,500 W | 39.5p | £20.59 |
| Tumble dryer | 2,500 W | — | £58.96 |
| Washing machine | 2,100 W | — | £20.84 |
| Hair dryer | 2,000 W | 52.6p | £32.02 |
How to spend less on it
- Iron a batch at once rather than one shirt at a time: an iron takes a few minutes to heat, and every time it is switched on and off that heat is wasted.
- Start with the fabrics that need the lowest temperature and finish with those that need the highest, then switch it off a little early.
- Hang clothes straight from the wash or the dryer so they need less ironing to begin with.
Questions
How much does an clothes iron cost to run per hour?
At 26.32p/kWh, an clothes iron drawing 1,500 W costs 39.5p for every hour of running at full power.
How much does an clothes iron cost to run a year?
Used 1 use a day of 30 minutes, 2 days a week, it costs about £20.59 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £1.72 a month.
How many watts does an clothes iron use?
Most draw between 1,000 W and 1,800 W while running, and 1,500 W is typical. The rating is on the label or in the manual.
How much does ironing cost?
A session of 30 minutes costs 19.7p at 26.32p/kWh. The thermostat switches the element off when the iron is hot enough, so the true cost is a little lower.
Sources
- How much electricity am I using?, Centre for Sustainable Energy, July 2026. “Iron (1500 W)”
- ENERGY SERIES: Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, 26 February 2020. “Clothes iron = 1000–1800”
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