Ratings of electrical appliances
Helping you understand how much power and electrical current household appliances use.
The power ratings shown on this page are indicative only. We've used the highest that we could find for popular household appliances.
It’s a good idea to check plugs and wires regularly, as household appliances can be damaged with use.
Ratings of common household appliances
| Appliance | Amps Used | Watts Used | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laptop | <0.5 | Up to 100 | |
| Mobile phone charger | <0.5 | Up to 140W | Since the introduction of USB 3 these devices are now typically 20W but can be as high as 75W for multiple fast charging and 140W for USB 3.1 PD |
| Chargers for battery operated devices | <0.5 | Up to 75 | Wide range of devices ranging from 7W for simple usb-powered chargers to 75W for multiple charging devices |
| Battery chargers for tools | 1.5 | Up to 350 | Typically, 50-350W. The faster the charger, the higher the power |
| Electric blanket | Up to 0.5 | Up to 120 | Typically, 80-120W. Double controller types are generally higher powered |
| Fridge (under counter type) | 0.5 | 120 | |
| Freezer | 0.86 | 200 | Applies to upright and domestic chest type freezers generally the larger the freezer the higher the power |
| Mini Fridge | 0.5 | 100 | |
| Fridge Freezer (Standard) | 1.5 | 150 | |
| American Style Fridge Freezer | 2.5 | 350 | |
| Kettle | Up to 13 | Up to 3000 | Typically, 2200 – 3000W |
| Satellite TV box/ Streaming devices | <0.5 | 30 | |
| Printer | <0.5 | 50 | |
| Radio | <0.5 | 40 | |
| Radiator or Fan Heater | Up to 13 | Up to 3000 | Typically, 2000 – 3000W |
| Desk lamp (with 60 W lamp) | <0.5 | 60 | |
| Desk lamp (with LED lamp) | <0.5 | 5 | |
| DVD/Blu-Ray player | <0.5 | 28 | |
| Hair dryer | 10.0 | 2200 | |
| Hair straighteners | <0.5 | Up to 100 | Typically, 60 – 100W |
| Landline cordless telephone charger | <0.5 | 10 | |
| Computer monitor | <0.5 | 100 | |
| Desktop computer | 1.3 | Up to 700 | Generally, the higher the specification the more power it needs, gaming computers tend to be highest |
| Television 55” UHD | <0.5 | 120 | |
| Games console | 0.86 | 200 | |
| Washing machine | 10 | 2200 | |
| Toaster (4 Slice) | 9.0 | 2000 | |
| Toaster (2 Slice) | 4.0 | 900 | |
| Tumble dryer (condenser or vented) | 11.0 | 2500 | |
| Tumble dryer (Heat Pump) | 3.5 | 800 | New technology tumble dryers that have much lower consumption figures |
| Dishwasher | 10.0 | 2200 | |
| Iron | 13 | 3000 | |
| Microwave | 6.5 | 1000 | Standard microwave with no grill or oven function |
| Vacuum cleaner | 9.0 | 2000 | Pre 2014 |
| Vacuum cleaner | 7.0 | 1600 | Pre 2017 |
| Vacuum cleaner | 4.0 | 900 | Post 2017 |
| Cordless vacuum cleaner | 0.75 | Up to 175 | Typically, 20-60W cordless vacuums using power tool batteries and chargers are higher |
| Wi-Fi router | <0.5 | 15 | |
| Single oven | 13.0 | 3000 | |
| Electric Vehicle (Slow Charge) | Up to 13 | Up to 3000 | Not to be used with an extension lead Dedicated circuit required and ideally an EV rated socket-outlet |
| Portable air conditioner | Up to 9.3 | Up to 2000 | Typically, 900 – 2000W the higher the BTUs the higher the power |
| Patio Heater | Up to 13 | Up to 3000 | Typically, 1200-3000W |
| Extension lead | - | - | Does not draw any current by itself. However, has the potential to cause overloads if daisy chained |
| Alarm clock radio | <0.5 | Up to 6 | Average |
| E-cigarette | <0.5 | Up to 65 | Based on phone charger as most of these devices are battery powered and similarly charged via USB charger |
| Slow cooker | <0.5-1.1 | Up to 250 | Typically, 75-250W |
| Portable Speaker (Bluetooth/wi-fi) | <0.5 | Up to 65 | Based on phone charger as most of these devices are battery powered and similarly charged via USB charger |
| Toothbrush charger | <0.5 | Up to 2.5 | Most modern chargers are <1W However, some older chargers can be up to 2.5W |
| Air Fryer | Up to 11 | Up to 2600 | Single drawer versions tend to be around 1500W whilst twin drawer versions are closer to 2600W |
| Dehumidifier (compressor type) | Up to 1.5 | Up to 350 | Smaller versions 5L/day are around 150W larger versions 20L/day around 350W |
| Dehumidifier (desiccant type) | <0.5-3 | 20 to 650 | Smaller desktop versions of up to 1L/day are around 20W with larger 10L/day versions up to 680W |
| Heated Clothes airer (heated wire type) | 1.3 | 300 | Heated wire types tend to range from 250-330W |
| Heated Clothes airer (heated air ‘pod’ type) | Up to 10 | Up to 2300 | Can be up to 2300W for some types found on online marketplaces. Ones from stores are generally 800-1000W |
Understanding power and current
- Electrical power is measured in watts (W), a unit of power.
- Electrical current is measured in amps (A), the rate at which it flows.
- Use our calculator to convert watts to amps and amps to watts.
Stay safe with electrical products
Check plugs and sockets
Don't ignore burn marks, ‘arcing’ (buzzing or crackling) sounds, fuses blowing, circuit-breakers tripping, or if it feels hot to touch.
Unplug and contact the retailer, manufacturer, or a qualified repair technician.
Protect with an RCD
An RCD (residual current device) in your consumer unit (fusebox) protects you from electric shocks if a product is faulty.
If you don’t have RCD protection, use an RCD plug on the socket where the product is plugged in.
Fit smoke and heat alarms
Ensure there is at least one smoke or heat alarm per floor in your property. Fit enough alarms to cover all areas where a fire could start.
Test alarms at least once a month. Replace them every ten years or when the replace by date is reached.
Selected FAQs
Answers to commonly-asked questions we receive about electrical safety.
If you have purchased an electrical product that you believe to be unsafe, you should contact the manufacturer to let them know of your concerns.
If they do not deal with this to your satisfaction, you should report the product to your local Trading Standards Office and they will be able to investigate further.
We recommend that you register all of your electrical appliances so that, in the event of a problem, the manufacturer can contact you to let you know about it. You can find out more here.
You should contact either Trading Standards or Citizens Advice to register your concern.
If you want to forward us supporting documentation and images relating to the product, we can objectively review its safety. Send it to enquiries@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk
We recommend you don't bring home electrical products purchased from outside the UK.
However, an EU conversion plug could make some appliances safe for use in the UK:
- Check if the type of conversion plug is suitable for use with the EU plug.
- Follow manufacturer's instructions when fitting a conversion plug.
- Remember, travel adaptors are not a suitable or safe alternative.
- If the plug is not suitable for conversion, replace the appliance with a UK product.
A statement of compliance must be a document that accompanies the in-scope product. PSTI however does not define the term “accompany”. A physical copy of the statement provided with the product should suffice however it does not necessarily need to be in a separate document. It could be included in the packaging or the instructions for use that accompany the product.
The statement could be in a digital form. However, if you make available an in-scope product that does not come with a physical copy of the statement, you need to be able to show that the digital statement for that product ‘accompanies’ the product.
Use of a summary statement is currently not permitted. All information required under PSTI (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1007/schedule/4/made) must be included in the statement.
Electrical products are recalled more regularly than you might think, but the response rate to a recall is often worryingly low. This means there are potentially millions of recalled electrical items still in UK homes.
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