See what your appliances really cost to run, then find out how many solar panels it would take to power them. Every tool uses the current Ofgem price cap as an editable default.
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Running cost is simple maths: watts divided by 1,000, times hours of use, times your price per kWh. The hard part is knowing the real wattage and how long a thermostat or humidistat keeps an appliance switched on, which is why these calculators include on-time and appliance presets you can edit.
Prices default to the Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 for England, Scotland and Wales. If you are on a fixed or time-of-use tariff, or live elsewhere in Europe, enter your own unit rate.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I work out the running cost of an appliance?
Multiply the power in kW by the hours of use to get kWh, then multiply by your unit rate. A 2 kW heater running for 3 hours uses 6 kWh, which costs about £1.58 at 26.32p per kWh.
What is the current UK electricity price cap?
For 1 October to 31 December 2026 the Ofgem cap for direct debit customers is 26.32p per kWh with a standing charge of 54.83p per day, averaged across England, Scotland and Wales. Your own tariff may differ.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than a gas boiler?
It depends on the heat pump's seasonal efficiency and the ratio of electricity to gas prices. At price cap rates a heat pump needs a seasonal efficiency of about 3 to match a 90% efficient gas boiler, which the heat pump calculator shows live.
Checked October 2026 by the Solaxyra Editorial Team. Read how we build and check our tools in our editorial policy.