Cost of Summer Appliances

Summer often means more time outdoors and less time spent at home, so you might expect your energy bills to drop. But with the air con running and a second fridge keeping drinks cold, your electricity bill could be creeping up more than you realise. 

So, which household appliances drive up energy bills during summer? 

New research from energy comparison service, iSelect, has analysed the cost of running 31 common household and summer appliances across Australia, from everyday essentials like boiling the kettle and doing the laundry to summer staples like running the air conditioner and cooling down by the pool. 

The analysis looked at the average energy use of up to 10 popular appliance models, combined this with current electricity prices across 16 distribution zones, and factored in how often a typical household would use each appliance over a 90-day Australian summer. 

The result? It’s not just the air con that could be adding to your summer energy bill. Everyday activities can quickly add up when repeated throughout the season. 

Key findings: 

• Air con is the biggest appliance cost: Running a reverse-cycle air conditioner for four hours a day costs an average of $119.51 over summer, making up almost a third (30.4%) of the cost of all 31 activities analysed. 
• A fan could save you more than $50: A ceiling fan costs just 1.1c an hour to run, compared with 33.2c for air conditioning. Replacing just two hours of daily air con with a ceiling fan could save $57.76 over summer. 
• Your location can make a big difference: The cost of running the same appliances varies significantly depending on where you live. A four-hour air conditioning session costs $1.78 in South Australia, compared with $1.06 in Melbourne CBD and inner suburbs. 
• Your pool pump could be costing more than you think: Running a pool pump every day costs an average of $80.69 over summer, making it the second-biggest expense in the analysis. Switching from a single-speed to a variable-speed pump could save $47.54 over summer. 
• Your electricity bill starts before you turn anything on: Supply charges add an average of $142.02 over summer, accounting for more than a quarter of the modelled household electricity cost. In Regional NSW, supply charges reach $233.56 over the season. 
• Small changes can still add up: Simple swaps can help reduce energy costs, including saving $34.08 a year by switching off a second fridge outside summer, $12.11 over summer by line drying instead of using a tumble dryer, and $11.18 by cutting a 15-minute blow-dry down to three minutes. 

It might not come as a surprise that air conditioning is one of the biggest energy users in summer, but the difference is pretty striking. Running a reverse-cycle air conditioner for 4 hours a day costs $119.51 over summer. An hour of air con costs 33.2c at the Australian average, compared with just 1.4c for an oscillating fan or 1.1c for a ceiling fan. 

On an extra hot day, running the air con for longer can quickly add to your electricity costs. Running it for 12 hours instead of four costs $3.98, an extra $2.66 for the day. Using a ceiling fan for those additional eight hours would cost just 9 cents, offering a much cheaper way to keep cool. 

The pool pump is the second biggest summer cost on our list. Running one every day costs $80.69 over summer, more than the hot tub and electric BBQ combined. Together, the pool pump and air con make up just over half ($200.20) of the cost of running all 31 appliances. The pump you choose makes a big difference. A variable-speed or eco pump costs $0.53 a day against $1.06 for a single-speed model, saving $47.54 over summer.  

The second fridge is a quiet achiever of the power bill. It draws just 0.02 kW, but because it runs 24/7, keeping drinks cold costs $11.15 over summer, more than an electric BBQ ($8.08) or an ice maker ($1.03). Switch it off once summer’s over, and you’ll save around $34 a year. 

While summer brings extra costs from things like air conditioning and pool pumps, we still need to use everyday appliances around the house, and they tell a slightly different story. Appliances that heat, cool, or dry tend to use more energy than those running for just a few minutes. The tumble dryer is the biggest energy user per load, at 3.08 kWh, costing an average of 93 cents per use. But frequency matters, too. Running a dishwasher every day costs just 18 cents per load, yet adds $16.48 to the electricity bill over summer, the highest total among everyday appliances on our list. While hanging clothes outside takes a little more time and effort, it can help cut energy use compared with running the dryer during summer. 

Cooking is another regular household expense. An oven costs around 27 cents per use, compared with 22 cents for an electric stove and 20 cents for an air fryer. Over summer, these costs add up to $7.07, $11.40 and $7.77. Meanwhile, kettles, toasters, and coffee machines cost around two cents per use because they only run for a few minutes, although frequent use can still add a few dollars to the bill. 

At the other end of the scale, charging a phone costs around one cent per charge, while a red light therapy mask costs less than one cent per session. The estimated summer uses show how small costs can accumulate over 90 days. To make the biggest difference to electricity bills, focus on appliances that use more energy per use or are run frequently. 

How the states compare 

Electricity costs vary across Australia, with both supply charges and usage rates affecting how much households pay over summer. Daily supply charges are fixed fees to stay connected to the electricity network, regardless of usage. These add a national average of $142.02 over summer to the modelled household cost, but vary by distribution area. Usage rates also differ, meaning the same appliances can cost more to run in some areas than others. 

South Australia is the most expensive place to get through summer. A household using all 31 appliances on our list pays $683.23 over summer, including supply charges. Running the air con for four hours a day costs $160.21, which is 68 per cent more than the $95.47 in Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs. 

Regional NSW is close behind at $667.32, largely due to the country’s highest daily supply charge at $2.60. This adds $233.56 over summer before any appliances are switched on, accounting for 35 per cent of the region’s total bill. Usage costs are also relatively high, with a second fridge running around the clock adding $12.32 over summer, compared with $8.91 in inner Melbourne. 

Inner Melbourne is the cheapest, with a modelled summer total of $415.18. There, running a pool pump daily costs $64.46 over summer. By comparison, a South Australian household pays $268.05 more than an inner-Melbourne household for the same modelled summer usage, including supply charges. Western Victoria, and Melbourne’s north-west and south-east also recorded some of the lowest summer electricity costs in the analysis. 

You don’t have to stop using your favourite summer or everyday appliances to make a difference to your power bill this coming season. The biggest saving comes from reducing air con use, with swapping just two of four daily hours for a ceiling fan could save $57.76 over summer. Cutting air con use by just one hour a day could save another $29.88. 

The pool is another easy place to make a change. Switching from a single-speed to a variable-speed pump could save $47.54 over summer, while switching off a second fridge outside the warmer months could save $34.08 a year. These are changes that don’t mean giving up your pool or your cold drinks. 

Smaller habits can chip away at the bill too. Line drying clothes instead of using the tumble dryer could save $12.11 over summer, while cutting a daily blow-dry from 15 minutes to three minutes could save $11.18. Even running the dishwasher only when it’s full adds up, saving $4.76 over the season.