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How much electricity do small bathroom appliances consume?

Have you ever wondered how much electricity a hair dryer or electric brush consumes? This article will help as a guide for your future purchases of small appliances.

How much electricity do small bathroom appliances consume?

Knowing how much electricity you consume is the first step towards energy efficiency. Not only will it help you organise yourself to consume less and save on your bill, but also to make the decisions when establishing your electrical installation, and this involves deciding how much power to contract and choosing the type of electrical appliances you buy.

Let's take a look at the main appliances and estimates for how much they consume.

 

Hair dryer

This is perhaps one of the most common small appliances in bathrooms around the world. According to Statista, 79% of households have at least one hair dryer.

In the mid-nineteenth century, hairstyles started to get complicated, so different utensils were invented to dry hair and shape it. Already in 1880 there were enamel brushes that were filled with boiling water to give off heat, this is called Thermicon technology.

But it was in 1890 when by reversing the mechanism used in vacuum cleaners, the French engineer Godefoy, invented the hair dryer. Over the following decades, the design and manufacturing processes were perfected to create an affordable serial product. For example, in 1911 Kazanjian added a handle to create the versatile hand dryer that we know today.

In 1921 the hair dryer was very successfully launched as a mass consumption product in the United States, both the helmet version for hairdressers and the hand-held version that we have in our homes today.

Nowadays there are a number of different types of dryers: From small dryers with low power for travelling to much more powerful professional dryers.

Let's look at a high-end dryer and the latest technology, with 1,600 W of power. If we use it an average of 15 minutes every time we dry our hair, we are talking about 0.4 kWh of consumption.

If you dry your hair 3 times a week, it means a monthly consumption of 4.8 kWh. To help you compare, watching TV 2 hours a day for a month represents a monthly consumption of 12 kWh, as we explained in this article.

 

Hair straightener

Hair straighteners are another popular appliance that is very popular in beauty treatments. Statista informs us that 40% of people have hair straighteners in their homes.

Already at the end of the 19th century people were using metal tongs and plates heated in a charcoal oven to put on their hair to give it shape. In 1912, Lady Jennifer Bell Schofield created the first prototype for straightening tongs, with two facing plates that were warmed up and slid through the hair to straighten it.

In the 1980s, tongs arrived in many homes with shaped plates to make the hair wavy, and that were coated with a protective plastic to prevent hair deterioration.

A decade later, the fashion was for straight hair and technological advances (digital temperature control, ceramic coatings with tourmaline or keratin) popularised hair straighteners that we still use today.

For our analysis we will take into account a top-end hair straightener with the latest technology, which will have a power of 200 W. If you use it for an average of 10 minutes a day, it will consume 0.03 kWh. This represents 1 kWh per month.

 

Toothbrush

Electric toothbrushes are another common small appliance in bathrooms. And because of their characteristics, each member of the household needs to have one as they cannot be shared.

Here is a short history of this appliance. In 1954, Dr Philippe-Guy Woog developed the first electric toothbrush, called Broxodent. Using this as a prototype, General Electric developed its own brush that was introduced into the US market in the 1960s.

There are models that work with batteries and others with batteries that can be charged in the electrical network. Let's look at an average brush, with a power of 3 W. If you brush your teeth 3 times a day for 5 minutes, you have a daily consumption of 0.00075 kWh. In one month, consumption would amount to 0.225 kWh.

 

Electric shavers

Another common small appliance is the electric shaver. King Camp Gillette invented the safety razor at the end of the 19th century, and it was successively improved until Jacob Schick launched the first electric shaver at the end of the 1930s. Double-headed, tilting heads, etc. There have been many innovations.

Some models come with a charging dock, others need to be plugged in before they will work. These small appliances have a power of about 100 w. If it takes you about 15 minutes a day to shave, you will consume up to 0.025 kWh. So by the end of the month you will have consumed about 0.75 kWh.

 

Hair removers

According to Statista, 23% of households have a normal electric hair remover. 7% have a laser hair remover, while 6% have an IPL hair remover. If we focus on common hair removers, we will be talking about centuries of developments with regard to hair removal.

There are records of people using honey and beeswax for removing hair in Ancient Egypt. In 1980, a small appliance was successfully launched in the American market: An electric hair remover which has a mechanism consisting of rotating heads that trap unwanted hair and uproot it.

In the 1950s, Gordon Gould was researching and accidentally discovered how a laser removed hair. Since then, there has been research on how to reduce the side effects of the application of a laser on the skin (burns, abnormal sensitivity) until, in the mid-1990s, laser hair removal devices began to be marketed. The IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) technique is a development of the laser.

An average IPL device has a power of 880 W. A hair removal treatment for armpits, groin and legs would last about 30 minutes a week. Each session would represent a consumption of 0.44 kWh. Two sessions per month would give a monthly consumption of 0.88 kWh.

 

How much power do they need?

From all this information we have given you, here is a table with the estimated consumption for the main small appliances you will find in the bathroom.

Domestic appliance Power Monthly consumption
Hair dryer 1.600 W 12 kWh
Hair straightener 200 W 1 kWh
Electric tooth brush 3 W 0,225 kWh
Electric shaver 100 W 0,75 kWh
air remover 880 W 0,88 kWh

Tips for good use

Finally, here are a few tips for using this type of appliance:

  • Always remember that you are using electrical appliances in the bathroom, an environment where there may be accumulated water and damp. Take all possible precautions.
  • When you are not using your small appliances, store them properly to protect them from water and dust. Find a dry place to store them, away from the sink and the shower. You can keep them in waterproof bags. Do not bend or twist the wires.
  • If you detect anything not quite right with your small appliances, such as damage to the cables and plug or burn marks, do not use them.
  • Always read the instructions and specifications for your appliances. Never make improper use of them, as this is dangerous.
  • When choosing them, always bear in mind their energy efficiency labelling, which ensures that they will optimise energy consumption.

 

Keep up-to-date with InfoEnergía

With our exclusive InfoEnergía service you will always be up-to-date regarding the amount of electricity you consume in your home, with detailed, customised information and nothing is left out. And all this just for because you are a customer!

The top 5 data that are available through InfoEnergía:

  • Your current consumption compared to previous periods.
  • You will knowing which domestic appliances consume more in your home and the total balance for your consumption.
  • You can simulate the savings you could make if you decide to change your appliances for more efficient ones.
  • ou get customised tips that will help you reduce consumption based on your lifestyle and equipment (electric toothbrush, ceramic hob, electric car, etc.)
  • You receive comparisons between your consumption and the consumption made by other profiles similar to yours in the neighbouring area.

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