With a 6.4% increase in the energy cap price coming into effect on 1 April 2025, which equates to an average price of 27.03p per kWh for a single unit of energy, now is a good time to start thinking about which items in your home are using the most energy.

So whether you like to keep your tumble dryer on a constant spin, are someone who walks around the house leaving lights and devices on, or simply have never given much thought to how to keep energy costs down, read on to find out which appliances use the most energy and how a few small changes might just save you a lot of money in the long run.

Click or scroll through to see which appliances are driving up your electricity costs...

With rising energy costs once more at the forefront of our minds, Which? has put its testers to work in its laboratories to work out which appliances in our homes are costing us the most.

Its testers have been measuring how much energy appliances use and then using this data to work out how much each appliance costs to run over the course of the year, presuming we are paying the average rate for electricity as set by Ofgem.

It's worth noting, Which? has also assumed an average use per household, so if you know you use your appliances far more or less than most then you should upscale or downscale your costings accordingly. 

In its list of the household appliances that use the most energy, Which? has placed TVs in 15th place. The average annual running cost of £30 assumes that we watch our TVs for about four hours per day and have them on standby for the other 20 hours. 

Of course, if you are a box-set binger, it's quite possible you watch your TV a lot more than this, so be honest with yourself as to whether your annual TV costs are actually a lot higher – and perhaps now's the time to consider turning your TV off at the wall between viewing sessions.

Coming in just above our beloved TVs is everyone’s favourite new kitchen gadget: the air-fryer.

However, while its appearance on this list may seem like a negative, at £31 per year, it costs significantly less to run one of these than a full-sized oven, so if you use an air-fryer for most of your cooking needs, you could actually be saving money on your energy bills. Not to mention living a healthier lifestyle.

Regardless of the brand or style, Which? found that all kettles require a similar amount of energy to boil – but those that boil faster are more efficient. 

It's also important not to boil too much water each time and a low minimum fill level is good at limiting this wastage. An annual fee of £40 per year seems like a small price to pay for our daily tea and coffee intake, though if you boil more than a litre of water twice a day then you’re probably spending more than that.

The good news for lovers of tumble dryers are that heat pump tumble dryers are a lot cheaper to run than the more traditional condenser models (we'll get to them shortly).

Which? says the average price per year for this household perk is £57 with the most expensive model it tested coming in at £81. However, in terms of bad news, it's still a lot more expensive than hanging your washing outside (or on a clothes horse in winter).

Freestanding electric cookers cost an average of £61 to run each year, with the most expensive one tested coming in at £79 and the cheapest, £50. 

With homecooked meals saving us all money in the long run, it's a cost most households can take on, and this style of cooker comes in cheaper than built-in models too.

Though at £62 per year, they cost around double what you can expect to pay for an air-fryer, a double oven does give you lots of flexibility in terms of cooking times and generally helps make your life easier.

And while some people claim they can cook a perfectly good roast dinner in an air fryer, we're pretty sure a double oven is hard to beat when it comes to preparing Christmas dinner.

In contrast, it's single ovens that are revealed as the least economical cooker in our list. Costing £2 more to run per year than its double counterpart, the single oven can't even claim to offer the same level of versatility.

If you're looking to upgrade your cooker in the near future, it's worth bearing this in mind.

According to Which? the average UK household uses their washing machine 208 times per year (about four times a week), which makes the average annual running cost of £66 seem very reasonable.

Size matters in terms of energy costs here but you also need to be realistic – a smaller one may be cheaper to run but if you have to put it on more frequently to deal with your household's laundry then you'll not really be making a saving.

That said, there are some energy-saving washing machines on the market that are worth looking into, including ones with the Which? Eco Buy label.

Though they may look aesthetically pleasing and add a certain rustic charm to your home, electric range cookers are the most expensive cookers to run and prices can vary greatly – from £40 to £102 according to Which?.

With this in mind, always consider running costs as well as initial outlay when buying a new cooker.

For most of us, a dishwasher is now an essential home appliance and again prices vary greatly, so while you can limit costs by waiting until it’s full to put it on, the best way to save money over the years is to invest in an energy efficient dishwasher.

According to the Which? research, the most expensive ones to run will set you back £103 per year, while those that lost less energy come in at just £44 per year – a huge saving we think you'll agree.

The very nature of a fridge freezer means it is one of your home's biggest energy guzzlers as it does need to be on all the time.

However, energy costs do vary depending on the style of fridge freezer and the size, with integrated ones coming in cheapest at £76 per year.

Freestanding fridge freezers may appeal more to you but they actually cost more to run than integrated versions, though this is often as they tend to be older and not as energy efficient.

When shopping for a fridge freezer in future, also check out its energy efficiency.

Far be it from us to tell you what size fridge freezer you need, but it's worth remembering that all the extra bulk (and space) offered by an American-style fridge freezer does require a fair bit extra energy.

So before you buy, think about whether you actually need it – if you have a hungry family, perhaps so, but if it's just for two people, it may be an unwise decision.

And so, back to tumble dryers. With an average running cost of £137 per year – and the most expensive one on test coming out at a whopping £186 per year – traditional condenser dryers are one of the biggest culprits for high energy bills.

If you're in the market for a new tumble dryer, look for a heat pump model instead.

Coming at the top of our list of the biggest energy-guzzling appliances in our home is the washer dryer. Though they may seem like a good idea – especially if you're short of space – washer dryers are rarely that much cheaper than buying separate machines and cost on average £223 per year, depending on your choice of model.

So, unless space is at a premium, look to get separate machines, which is a more energy-efficient alternative (especially if you save the dryer only for use in winter).

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