Cost to run a vacuum cleaner
Each 30 minutes use of a vacuum cleaner drawing 900 W costs 11.8p at 26.32p/kWh. Used 1 use a day of 30 minutes, 3 days a week, that comes to £1.54 a month.
Each use costs
11.8p a use
That is 0.45 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £1.54 a month and £18.53 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 | 11.8p | 0.45 kWh | 98 g |
| A day, on average | 5.08p | 0.19 kWh | 42 g |
| A month | £1.54 | 5.87 kWh | 1.3 kg |
| A year | £18.53 | 70.4 kWh | 15.3 kg |
How we calculated this
Energy is power multiplied by time: 900 W for 30 minutes uses 0.45 kWh each time.
The typical and low figures are the average rating Centre for Sustainable Energy gives for a vacuum cleaner. The high figure is the top of Virginia Tech’s nameplate range, which starts just above it. A cordless vacuum runs from a battery that is charged from the wall, so its cost is the energy to charge that battery, not these ratings.
The starting use for a vacuum cleaner, 1 use a day of 30 minutes, 3 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
A vacuum cleaner runs a motor, and it draws 900 W while it does. A session of 30 minutes uses 0.45 kWh and costs 11.8p, so it costs little each time and about £18.53 a year as used here.
Also called: hoover, vacuum, upright vacuum.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For a vacuum cleaner used as typical (1 use a day of 30 minutes, 3 days a week), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | A use |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | 11.8p |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | 8.19¢ |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €0.18 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 0,17 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 0,12 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 0,12 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 0,13 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 0,12 |
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum cleaner | 900 W | 23.7p | £18.53 |
| Electric lawn mower | 1,000 W | 26.3p | £10.29 |
| Clothes iron | 1,500 W | 39.5p | £20.59 |
How to spend less on it
- Empty the bag or bin and keep the filter clean: a clogged one makes the motor work harder for the same result.
- Vacuum on a lower power setting on hard floors, if your model has one.
Questions
How much does a vacuum cleaner cost to run per hour?
At 26.32p/kWh, a vacuum cleaner drawing 900 W costs 23.7p for every hour of running at full power.
How much does a vacuum cleaner cost to run a year?
Used 1 use a day of 30 minutes, 3 days a week, it costs about £18.53 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £1.54 a month.
How many watts does a vacuum cleaner use?
Most draw between 900 W and 1,440 W while running, and 900 W is typical. The rating is on the label or in the manual.
How much does vacuuming cost?
A session of 30 minutes uses 0.45 kWh, which costs 11.8p at 26.32p/kWh. Used 1 use a day of 30 minutes, 3 days a week, that is £18.53 a year.
Sources
- How much electricity am I using?, Centre for Sustainable Energy, July 2026. “Vacuum cleaner (900 W)”
- ENERGY SERIES: Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, 26 February 2020. “Vacuum cleaner = 1000–1440”
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