The Cost of Everyday Appliances

The surprising cost of our everyday appliances, from making a cuppa to cooking dinner

The most power-hungry household appliances

The most power-hungry appliance is heating and cooling reverse-cycle air conditioners, with heating consuming an average of 5.47 kW and cooling close behind at 4.94 kW. However, while air con uses the most energy, it’s not the only energy-hungry appliance in our homes.  

Oven usage was ranked as the second most energy-guzzling appliance, using nearly 3 kW per use. In contrast, air fryers (1.85 kW) and microwaves (1.06 kW) are noticeably more energy-efficient, supporting the growing preference and popularity for air fryers as a more energy-efficient option. 

Appliances like irons (2.30 kW), kettles (2.28 kW), and hairdryers (2.02 kW) use more power per session than many might expect, showing how smaller tasks can still pack an energy punch.  

Which household appliances are draining our wallets the most?

Heating and cooling don’t just use the most energy — they also cost the most. Running a reverse-cycle air con for heating could set you back more than $1,500 a year, with cooling close behind at $1,372.36. In contrast, using an electric heater for three hours a day costs $336.70 — still pricey, but a far cheaper option for staying warm in the winter months.  

Contrary to popular belief, handwashing dishes is surprisingly more expensive than running a dishwasher. Handwashing the same number of dishes as a full dishwasher load uses five times more energy, and costs $451.03 per year, compared to $80.23. 

Still debating whether to use the oven or the air fryer? The numbers don’t lie. Running an oven will cost you $163.77 annually, while an air fryer is less than half that and at $68.49 per year.  

How often you use appliances makes a big difference, too. Ovens and tumble dryers might not be the most expensive per use, but regular use adds up to over $130 a year with just one use per week. Even the little things — like boiling the kettle or drying your hair — might seem small, but they still add to your power bill over time. 

The cost of everyday appliances per use in each state

South Australia is one of the most expensive states in which to run household appliances. Heating a home here with a reverse-cycle air conditioner for five hours costs $11.11 — the highest of all states. Cooling is also not cheap at $10.03 for five hours of use; even using a tumble dryer costs households $1.77 per load. These higher-than-average costs could make managing energy bills more challenging for South Australians. 

New South Wales ranks as the second most expensive state for everyday appliances, with most costs higher than the national average. 

Victoria households consistently pay less to run appliances — from heating and cooling to everyday tasks like dishwashing or using the oven. For example, heating with a reverse-cycle air con costs just $6.20 per five-hour session, compared to $11.11 in South Australia. Even smaller appliances cost less to run, making Victoria the most affordable state for household energy use overall. 

Methodology

We have used a random sample of 5-10 popular and like-for-like products from each category to find the average energy consumption of appliances in kilowatt hours (kWh). Products were searched by popularity on leading electrical retailers and brand-specific websites, with selections from varying brands, where possible. The energy consumption from each product is verified through retail listings, product specification pages and energy.gov energy rating calculators and databases. 
The energy consumption was then calculated to approximate the time for each activity or task, such as ironing clothes for 10 minutes, or, where necessary, the energy consumption required to reach an end goal, such as washing a load of clothes. 
The price of tasks and activities has been calculated using the approximate time allocation and used to calculate the cost based on hourly energy prices ($ per kWh). Please note that values may not sum due to rounding. Yearly costs for heating and cooling appliances have been calculated for half of the year (183 days). 
The power prices are based on the cheapest residential market offer usage rate from the top retailers with the largest market share in each state (NT and WA use the maximum rates for residential customers set by state regulators). The prices are based on residential properties with medium-level usage from single rate plans with no controlled load, no demand charges and with no conditions, discounts or offers. Prices are correct as of April 2025. 
The calculation of energy consumption from handwashing is based on the assumption that an estimated 100 litres of water is the equivalent amount used to hand wash a full load of dishes, and 55 degrees Celsius is a recommended good safe temperature to wash dishes. The energy consumption is associated with heating water from 20 to 55 degrees. 

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