How many watts does a hair dryer use? Dry facts

Updated: Jul 23, 2025
8 min

Sergey FedorovAuthor

Hair dryers use a lot of electricity compared to other things in your bathroom. If you want to save money on your electric bill or make sure your home's wiring can handle it, you need to know exactly how many watts hair dryers use and how to cut down your energy costs.

Key takeaways

Most home hair dryers use 1,500 watts – that's like running a small space heater, so make sure your bathroom outlets can handle the load.
Daily 15-minute use costs only about $2 per month and $22 per year, making hair dryers surprisingly affordable to operate despite their high wattage.
Air-dry for 10-15 minutes first, then blow-dry for 8 minutes instead of 15 – this simple change cuts your electricity use almost in half.
You only need 100 watts of solar power – less than one small panel – to cover daily hair drying, since high-wattage appliances used briefly require minimal solar capacity.

Hair dryer combines a heater and a fan

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Hair dryers need electricity to heat up and blow air at the same time. That's why they use so much power – they're basically running a heater and a fan together. The wattage number on your hair dryer tells you how much electricity it can use when running at full power. Hair dryers come in different power levels. Here are the main categories you'll find when shopping.

Low wattage – 800-1,200 watts for basic models: Cheap hair dryers and travel sizes from brands like Conair, Revlon, and Remington usually use 800-1,200 watts. These work fine for short hair or if you don't use them often, but they take longer to dry your hair.
Medium wattage – 1,200-1,800 watts for standard home use: Most people do best with hair dryers in this range from brands like Chi, BaByliss, T3, and mid-range Conair models. They dry hair fast enough for daily styling but don't cost too much to run. This is the sweet spot for most families.
High wattage – 1,800+ watts for professional and quick-drying needs: Salon-quality hair dryers from brands like BaByliss Pro, Elchim, Bio Ionic, and some Dyson models use 1,800 watts or more. Some use over 2,000 watts. These dry hair really fast and are great for thick or long hair needing powerful airflow, but use as much electricity as a small space heater.

Most hair dryers sold for home use draw about 1,500 watts. This gives you good drying power without using crazy amounts of electricity and works well for most hair types.

How to take care of your hair dryer?

Taking care of your hair dryer is pretty simple. Clean out the hair and dust from the filter once a month so air can flow through easily. Let it cool down before you put it away, don't wrap the cord too tight, and don't use it for too long at one time or it might get too hot. Always unplug it when you're done, keep the vents open while using it, and check that the cord isn't broken or cracked. A well-maintained hair dryer not only lasts longer but also uses energy more efficiently, keeping your electric bills lower.

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Watts to dollars: What your hair dryer actually costs

Your hair dryer only uses power when it's actually running, unlike things like your refrigerator that run all day. So how often and how long you use it makes the biggest difference in your electric bill.

Using a hair dryer for 15 minutes uses about the same electricity as leaving a 60-watt LED bulb on for over 6 hours. It's also like running your microwave for about 20 minutes.

Here's how to figure out your costs: Take your hair dryer's watts, multiply by how many hours you use it, then multiply by your electricity rate. If you use a typical 1,500-watt hair dryer for 15 minutes every day your electricity price sits at 16 cents per kilowatt-hour, it would cost you 6 cents per drying, making about $2 per month and $22 per year. Higher-wattage dryers and longer use can easily double or triple this cost.

1,500 watts × 0.25 hours (15 minutes) × $0.16 × 30 days = about $2 per month

Simple tricks: How to reduce your hair dryer’s consumption

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Your hair dryer doesn't always use the same amount of electricity. How you use it and what settings you pick can change your power bill quite a bit. These tips help you dry your hair just as well while using less power.

Reduce usage time from 15 to 8 minutes: How long you use your hair dryer matters most for your electric bill. Let your hair air dry for 10-15 minutes before using your hair dryer. This works really well for people with long hair who usually need to blow-dry for a long time. You can cut your blow-drying time from 15 minutes to 8 minutes this way and use almost half the electricity.
Lower heat settings: Try using medium heat with high air flow instead of maximum heat. This often dries hair just as fast while using less electricity. The extra air makes up for the lower temperature and is gentler on your hair too.
Switch to cool air mode: Cool air mode uses 1,300–1,400 watts less than high heat because it's not running the heater part. When you switch to cool air, your hair dryer only uses about 100-200 watts to run the fan motor.
Choose advanced technology: Newer hair dryers with better motors can blow air just as hard while using 20-30% less electricity. These cost more upfront but can save money over time if you use your hair dryer daily.

Dry your hair with solar energy

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A typical hair dryer uses about 1,500 watts of power. Let's add 25% for the losses that happen when converting the DC power from solar panels to AC power that your hair dryer uses. So you'd need about 2,000 watts total, or five 400-watt solar panels to run your hair dryer at full power.

You don't need to size your whole solar system for peak demand. You're not running every appliance in your house at the same time. Plus, with a grid-tied system, your home can always pull extra power from the electric company if your solar panels aren't making enough at that moment.

If your solar system has a battery, any extra energy your panels make during the day gets stored there. When you need to dry your hair later, your hair dryer can use that stored power.

Here's a real example: Say you use your hair dryer for 15 minutes daily. That's 1,500 watts × 0.25 hours = 375 watt-hours. Add 25% for energy losses and you need about 500 watt-hours daily. If you live somewhere with 5 hours of good sun per day, you only need about 100 watts of solar power to cover your daily hair drying. That's less than one small solar panel!

Hair dryers do use a lot of power, but smart habits and efficient models can keep your electric bill down. For homeowners who like to save money and energy, solar power is another easy way to make your home more efficient.

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Sergey Fedorov

Co-founder & CTO

Sergey has been running A1 SolarStore since 2017 with the main idea in mind – making going solar easier for everyone. Based on a thorough market research and his personal experience, he shares his ideas on both solar industry and management related topics