Keep your home warm, dry and cool for less
Straight answers for UK homes on condensation, mould and damp walls, and on what it really costs to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Every running cost uses the current energy price cap.
What an hour costs this winter
Electricity at 26.32p and gas at 7.97p per kWh, the price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Typical power for each appliance. Central heating assumes the house takes 5kW of heat, with a heat pump efficiency from the government's field trial and a typical boiler efficiency; yours will differ. Work out your own.
Keeping you warm
- Electric blanket 2.6p
- Heated throw 3.2p
- Halogen heater 32p
- Oil-filled radiator 39p
- Fan heater 53p
Heating the whole house (5kW of heat)
- Air source heat pump 45p
- Gas boiler 47p
- Oil boiler 73p
- Electric heaters or boiler £1.32
Drying and damp
- Compressor dehumidifier 4.7p
- Heated airer 6.6p
- Desiccant dehumidifier 16p
See the full Home Comfort Cost Index: cost per hour, per evening and per month for each of these, with what changed since the last price cap.
Calculators
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Dehumidifier size calculator
Answer four questions about your home and get the dehumidifier size and type that suits it, with what it will cost to run.
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Running cost calculator
Find out what any electric appliance costs per hour, day, month and winter at the current UK price cap.
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Mould risk checker
Enter your room temperature and humidity to see your mould risk and the temperature at which walls and windows start to get wet.
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Heating cost per hour
Compare the hourly cost of a heated throw, electric blanket, plug-in heaters, and gas, oil, heat pump and electric central heating.