Have you ever wondered how much energy your hair dryer consumes? Many people think that, as long as the appliance works, this type of information is not so important.
After all, there is a widespread idea that smaller appliances don’t use much electricity. But that’s not always the case.
Knowing the energy consumption of your appliances is important to economize consumption. This way, you can save money by planning a wiser use of your appliances. Before we discuss the details, we will begin with an understanding of the fundamentals of electrical energy consumption.
Basics of Electrical Energy Consumption
For billing purposes, your electricity provider measures your energy consumption in kilowatts hour (KWh). This is 1,000 Watts of power used for one hour. A Watt (W) is a unit to measure electrical power.
This value depends on the voltage (Volts) and electrical current (Amperes) that the appliance uses. The power (W) is simply voltage (V) times current (Amps).
Now, to reduce your electricity bill, you have to use more moderately the appliances that consume higher power (W). Let’s assume that your hair dryer consumes 1,600 W (a typical value).
After the equivalent of 1 hour of use, your hair dryer will have used 1.6 kWh. Multiply this value times the cost of 1 kWh in your place of residence. Then, you’ll know how much money you pay to use this appliance.
Heating Consumes a Lot of Electricity
Any appliance that converts electricity into heat consumes a substantial amount of electricity. You can find several of these appliances in the kitchen, but also in the bathroom. Besides hair dryers, other grooming appliances that produce heat from electricity are curlers, crimping irons, etc.
Curlers and irons generally use a metallic resistance to produce heat. Old hair dryers used metallic resistances too.
However, modern hair dryers are equipped with ceramic heating elements. This heating system is much more energy-efficient since it retains heat longer. Moreover, heat diffusion is more uniform with such systems.
Hence, less heat is wasted. But you must take into account that hair dryers have an electrical motor to function. These machines also consume energy, especially powerful ones.
How Much Energy Does My Hair Dryer Consume?
So, after all this explanation, how much energy does my hair dryer consume? This is a good question. In general, hair dryers have high energy consumption. Depending on the technology and functionality of your hair dryer, its energy consumption can be between 1,200 W and 2,000 W.
Some small travel hair dryers can consume as little as 750 W. On the contrary, professional salon hair dryers can consume as much as 3,500 W.
The exact power consumption of your hair dryer is usually indicated in the specs. Look for a printed label on the body of your device. Common data include the operating voltage (V) and power consumption (W).
With these two values, you can calculate how many Amps your hair dryer uses. However, for billing purposes, the power consumption in watts is much more relevant.
If the electrical specs are not printed on the hair dryer itself, you can find this information in the user’s manual. Otherwise, a quick search on the Internet will yield the sought value.
Amazon, for example, provides the technical specs of all the appliances sold on this platform. This includes power consumption in watts.
If you have some training in electricity, you could measure the current when your hair dryer is in operation. You will need a multimeter to do it. Then, you just need to multiply this value times the supply voltage to know the power consumption. In the United States, the supply voltage is 120 V.
Which Hair Dryer Should You Buy to Reduce Your Electricity Bill?
There is a misconception that the higher “wattage,” the better. This is not true in all cases. If all hair dryers were built with the same heating technology and design, maybe the previous statement would be somehow valid.
Otherwise, higher power consumption doesn’t necessarily mean better performance. If the hair dryer doesn’t use an efficient heating system, a lot of electricity is wasted. Hence, the power consumption will be high, but the heat produced won’t be as high.
Hence, look for a modern hair dryer that utilizes energy-efficient technology. You can read some reviews online about the hair dryers of your interest. This way, you will learn whether their power consumption matches their performance.
Besides choosing an energy-efficient hair dryer, the following tips will help you save some electricity:
- Reduce the usage time of your hair dryer. Turn it on just the necessary time to dry your hair;
- Unplug it when you finish using it. This tip applies to all your appliances at home;
- After taking a shower, ventilate the bathroom properly. Open the window for at least 15 minutes. This will reduce humidity in the air, allowing the hair dryer to dry your hair faster.
Your hair dryer probably isn’t the main energy consumer at home. But every cent you save counts. Follow these tips, and you will save a few dollars a year.