Electric heated towel rails could be costing some households in the UK around £54.03 a year from the start of next month, according to calculations by The Express. From April 1, people in England, Wales, and Scotland on a standard variable tariff, and who pay for their electricity via Direct Debit, will pay 24.67p per kilowatt hour (kWh) on average.
That’s a 7%-reduction on the current price cap of 27.69p per kWh, with Ofgem saying the main cause of the drop is Government budget interventions. As a result, your electricity bills may soon be lower, but some appliances will still be racking up surprisingly large sums over the year. This includes heated towel rails powered by electricity, which are often heavily used. Most heated rails are connected to the central heating, rather than your mains, while some will be a hybrid of the two.
However, many Britons will have electric versions, as they can be used in summer without turning on the heating for the whole home, and are cheaper and easier to install.
Elegant Heat, a UK specialist in various heating appliances, suggests that moderate household use is around 2 hours per day for a light user, including use in the morning and evening.
Wattages will vary depending on the model and size of the appliance. But for the sake of estimating costs throughout the year, let’s assume it’s a fairly standard 300-watt model.
If we plug that into Smart Money Tool’s Electricity cost calculator, we see that, based on that level of usage, your electric rail might add £60.64 to your energy bill over 12 months under the current cap (27.69p per kWh).
That’s made up of a cost of £0.01 per 10 mins, £0.17 per day, or £5.05 per month.
Under the April 1 price cap (24.67p), it would be considerably lower, costing around £54.03 over 12 months, £0.01 per 10, £0.15 per day, or £4.50 per month.
However, that assumes constant electricity usage for the two hours. Some models have thermostats which save power once the rail has reached a certain temperature, slashing costs by half, Elegant Heat says.
Therefore, using a thermostat could cost around £27.25 per year under the new cap.
And while the estimate gives you an illustrative sense of the costs the cap represents over a longer period, the maximum limit on unit rates and standard charges is reviewed by the regulator every three months and doesn’t remain in place for a full year.
Meanwhile, the standing charge will rise slightly from its current 54.75p level to 57.21p per day.
The April 1 price cap will apply until June 30, with the next cap level announced on May 27.