✓ Updated October 2026
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On 21 October 2026 Amazon UK’s “bought in past month” badges on the 16 best-selling heated clothes airers added up to at least 10,000 sales. The top seller, a £45 Status winged airer, showed 2,000+ on its own. We took the ten best sellers whose listings state a wattage and worked out what each costs to run at the current energy price cap. Their power ranges from 220W to 1,500W, so the dearest costs nearly seven times as much per hour as the cheapest.
We haven’t tested these airers ourselves. Prices, wattages and capacities come from each Amazon UK listing, checked on 22 October 2026. Two other best sellers (a £30.95 aluminium winged airer and a £69.98 airer with a cover) don’t state their wattage, so they aren’t in the table. Electricity is priced at Ofgem’s cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026: 26.32p per kWh, the average for Direct Debit customers.
Quick verdict
A 220 to 230W winged airer costs about 6p an hour to run and £36 to £45 to buy, so for most homes it is the cheapest way to dry washing indoors. For bigger family loads, the 300W three-tier airers from Lakeland and Black+Decker cost about 8p an hour. The 1,000W and 1,500W pod dryers cost 26p to 39p an hour. Run one for its full three-hour timer and it costs about as much as a load in a condenser tumble dryer, or more.
Check the Status 230W airer on Amazon →Running costs of the ten best sellers
| Heated airer | Price | Bought last month | Rating | Power | Cost per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status heated winged airer, 20 rails | £45.00 | 2,000+ | 4.0 (2,133) | 230W | 6.1p |
| Lakeland Dry:Soon 3-tier | £159.99 | 1,000+ | 4.4 (1,328) | 300W | 7.9p |
| Black+Decker 3-tier with cover | £119.00 | 1,000+ | 4.1 (604) | 300W | 7.9p |
| Bargain Factory heated winged airer, 18 rails | £35.99 | 1,000+ | 4.0 (100) | 230W | 6.1p |
| 1000W heated clothes dryer with cover | £49.99 | 900+ | 4.4 (904) | 1,000W | 26.3p |
| AMOS Eezy Dry Pod | £65.99 | 800+ | 4.4 (75) | 1,000W | 26.3p |
| Harbour Housewares heated airer, 18 rails | £35.99 | 700+ | 4.1 (359) | 220W | 5.8p |
| Drysoon Deluxe 3-tier with timer | £199.99 | 500+ | 4.3 (1,574) | 300W | 7.9p |
| 1500W 2-tier heated airer with cover | £43.59 | 400+ | 4.1 (91) | 1,500W | 39.5p |
| DMD Collective heated airer | £39.99 | 400+ | 4.0 (83) | 230W | 6.1p |
Amazon rounds its “bought last month” badge down, so 2,000+ means at least 2,000. Prices change daily and the live price is the one on Amazon. Our heated clothes airer price table tracks 22 best sellers.
How long can an airer run before a tumble dryer is cheaper?
Which? prices the energy use of the tumble dryers it tests at the same October 2026 cap, for three cotton loads a week. Its examples are a Samsung heat pump dryer at £45 a year, a Montpellier condenser dryer at £128 and a Candy vented dryer at £167. Per load that is about 29p, 82p and £1.07.
Divide a load’s cost by an airer’s cost per hour and you get how long the airer can run before it costs more than one load in that dryer:
| Airer power | Per hour | Heat pump dryer (29p a load) | Condenser dryer (82p) | Vented dryer (£1.07) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 230W | 6.1p | 4h 45m | 13h 35m | 17h 40m |
| 300W | 7.9p | 3h 40m | 10h 25m | 13h 35m |
| 1,000W | 26.3p | 1h 05m | 3h 05m | 4h 05m |
| 1,500W | 39.5p | 45m | 2h 05m | 2h 45m |
A 230W airer that dries your washing in under about four and three quarter hours costs less than a heat pump dryer load, and it stays cheaper than a condenser load for more than 13 hours. All three pods in our list have timers that go up to 180 minutes. A full three-hour run costs about 79p on a 1,000W pod, close to a condenser load, and about £1.18 on the 1,500W one, which is more than a load in any of the three dryers.
We can’t tell you how long each airer takes to dry a load, because that depends on the fabric, the spin speed and how warm the room is. Time your first few loads and compare them with the table.
How to work out the running cost
Divide the wattage by 1,000 and multiply by your electricity price in pence per kWh. At the cap’s 26.32p, a 230W airer costs 6.05p an hour, a 300W airer 7.90p, a 1,000W pod 26.32p and a 1,500W pod 39.48p. Those figures assume the heater runs at full power the whole time. The Lakeland’s rails are thermostatically controlled, according to its listing, so it may use less. Your own tariff may also be cheaper or dearer than the cap.
Which type to buy
- Winged airers of 220 to 230W cost £36 to £45 and are the cheapest to run. None of the four in our list mentions a cover, so expect slower drying in a cold room.
- Three-tier airers of 300W cost £119 to £200. The Lakeland, Black+Decker and Drysoon listings each give 21m of drying space and a 15kg load. The Black+Decker comes with a cover. The Drysoon Deluxe has a 1 to 12 hour timer, but its cover is sold separately.
- Pods have a cover and a 1,000 to 1,500W heater that warms the air around the clothes. They cost £44 to £66 and three to five times as much per hour as a 300W airer.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Spin on the fastest setting the fabric allows, so there is less water to dry.
- Leave gaps between items so the warm air can reach them.
- Use the cover if your airer has one. If it has no timer, a plug-in timer stops it running all night.
- Open a window or run a dehumidifier, because the water from your clothes ends up in the room. Our dehumidifier running costs guide compares the best sellers.
Who should not buy one
- Anyone who needs clothes dry the same evening. A heated airer is slower than a tumble dryer.
- Homes with damp or mould and no way to ventilate the room where the washing dries.
- Anyone buying a 1,000W or 1,500W pod because heated airers have a reputation for being cheap to run.
FAQ
How much does a heated airer cost to run per hour?
At the October to December 2026 cap of 26.32p per kWh, a 230W airer costs about 6p an hour, a 300W airer about 8p and a 1,500W pod about 39p.
Is a heated airer cheaper than a tumble dryer?
A 230W airer costs less than one heat pump dryer load for the first four and three quarter hours, and less than a condenser load for about 13 and a half hours, using the Which? examples above. A 1,500W pod is cheaper than a condenser load for only about two hours.
Why do some heated airers use 1,000W or more?
Those models have a heater and a cover, and they warm the air around the clothes. The 220 to 300W airers heat the rails the clothes hang on.
Do heated airers make a room damp?
Yes. The water in your washing goes into the air as it dries, so open a window or use a dehumidifier.
Check the Lakeland Dry:Soon 3-tier on Amazon
Prices, wattages and sales badges checked on Amazon UK on 22 October 2026. Electricity price: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026. Tumble dryer figures: Which? tumble dryer running costs, updated 1 October 2026.