Everyday
What if I replaced an old appliance?
How does estimated electricity running cost of an old appliance compare with buying a new one?
An old fridge, dryer or washing machine can quietly use more electricity than a newer one with a better energy label. Whether replacement pays for itself depends on how many kilowatt-hours you really use, what you pay per unit, how many years the new machine lasts in your house, and what it costs to buy. Energy Saving Trust publishes typical running-cost examples; Ofgem unit rates set a useful default for the pence-per-kWh slider. This experiment uses the consumption figures you enter — usually from an energy label or a meter — and compares estimated running cost against the purchase price over a period you choose. It labels every figure as an estimate. It does not claim that buying new is always the lower-impact choice.
Change this
Results update as you move the controls.
Your result
£76.40
estimated running difference minus purchase, over 8 years
All figures are estimates from the kWh and unit rate you entered.
- Old running cost / year
- £84.00
- New running cost / year
- £43.20
- Purchase
- £250
- Simple payback
- 6.1 y
350 kWh at 24p.
6.1 years to cover the purchase on running cost
What does that mean?
Keeping the old machine is estimated at £84.00 a year to run; the new one at £43.20, plus £250 to buy. Over 8 years the running difference is £326, so the net cash figure is £76.40. Compare the estimated difference. Buying new is not automatically the lower-impact choice once manufacture is counted.
At a glance
- Old running (period)£672
- New running + purchase£596
Compare
| kWh saved per year | 170 |
|---|---|
| Running difference over the period | £326 |
| Minus purchase | £76.40 |
Compare scenarios
Running cost versus the purchase
The interesting output is not “new uses less electricity” — that is the input — but whether the gap covers the price tag before you would have replaced the machine anyway. A £250 appliance that trims 170 kWh a year at 24p is a slow payback; the same gap on a tumble dryer used daily is a faster one. If the old machine is about to fail, the purchase is not optional and the running difference is a bonus, not a hurdle.
Labels and real use
EU-style energy labels quote annual kWh under a standard programme. A fridge in a hot kitchen, or a washer never run on Eco, will miss that number. Energy Saving Trust has long pointed at cold appliances and wet appliances as the large electricity users after heating. Put the label figure in if that is all you have; put a metered figure in if you have one.
Repair sits on the other page
Keeping a working machine is often the lower-resource path even when it uses more power. The reuse experiment next door treats replacement cycles directly. Use this page when the question is specifically energy cost versus a quoted purchase, not when the question is “should I own fewer things”.
How we calculated this
Annual running cost = kWh per year × pence per kWh ÷ 100, for old and new. Running difference over the period = (old kWh − new kWh) × unit price × years. Net cash = running difference − purchase price. Simple payback years = purchase ÷ annual running difference when that difference is positive. Unit rate is held constant. This experiment provides estimates for educational purposes and is not financial advice. Actual results vary depending on rates, fees, taxes, inflation and individual circumstances.
Go further
A curated rabbit hole from this question. Each link is a real experiment, not a random suggestion.
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