How much does a clothes iron cost to run?

What a clothes iron costs to run: typical 2000 W, about $25 a year. Adjust the figures to your own usage and electricity price.

Typical wattage

A clothes iron is a high-power appliance — usually 1,000 to 3,000 watts — but one that is used in short sessions, so its overall cost is modest for most households. The element heats the soleplate quickly, then thermostatically cycles on and off to hold the set temperature, so it does not draw full power the whole time it is switched on. The real cost depends on how often and how long you iron, which for most people is a session or two a week.

Because the heat-up and the thermostat cycling dominate, the efficient approach is to iron everything in one batch rather than heating the iron up repeatedly for a shirt at a time. Sorting garments by temperature and ironing the cooler ones first, while the iron warms up, also avoids waiting at full power. Steam settings use a little more energy to boil water, so use them only where you need them. Enter your iron's wattage and a realistic weekly ironing time above to see the cost.

A useful comparison is the garment steamer, which many people now use instead of an iron for quick jobs. Steamers heat less mass and often draw less overall for a couple of items, though a traditional iron is still efficient for a big batch pressed in a single heat-up. As always, ironing everything in one session is the habit that keeps the cost down.

Steam-generator irons are a different category worth distinguishing from a standard iron: instead of a small internal reservoir, they use a separate boiler that stays hot and pressurised throughout the session, often drawing close to its full wattage continuously rather than cycling like a basic iron. They press faster and handle large loads well, but that steady high draw means the running cost per session is usually higher than a standard iron's — worth factoring in if you are choosing between the two for occasional versus heavy ironing.

How to cut clothes iron running costs

• Iron a whole batch in one session rather than heating up for one garment at a time.
• Sort by temperature and start with the cooler fabrics while the iron heats.
• Use steam only where you need it — boiling water for steam uses extra energy.
• Switch it off a little early and use the retained heat for the last few items.
• Never leave a hot iron on unattended — for safety and to avoid wasted energy.

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