Kent Traders analysis, July 2026. We supply the appliances in this article to 18+ London hotels — so we did the maths hoteliers keep asking us for.
Under the July–September 2026 Ofgem price cap, electricity averages 26.11p per kWh for standard variable tariffs (commercial contracts vary, but the cap is a fair public benchmark). Here's what that means per occupied guest room, appliance by appliance.
The per-night bill, itemised
| Appliance | Typical use | kWh/night | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettle (2.2kW) | 4 boils ≈ 12 min | 0.44 | 11.5p |
| Minibar (compressor) | 24h continuous | 0.90 | 23.5p |
| TV (100W) | 4 hours | 0.40 | 10.4p |
| Lighting (LED, ~60W total) | 6 hours | 0.36 | 9.4p |
| Hair dryer (1.6kW) | 10 min | 0.27 | 7.0p |
| Iron or trouser press | ~10 min (not every night) | 0.20 | 5.2p |
| Device charging (phone/laptop) | overnight | 0.05 | 1.3p |
| Total per occupied night | ≈2.6 kWh | ≈68p |
Estimates for a typical double room excluding HVAC and en-suite water heating, which vary hugely by building. Assumptions shown so you can rerun the maths with your own tariff.
Scaled up, it's real money
- One room, 75% occupancy: ≈ £186/year
- 50-room hotel: ≈ £9,300/year on in-room appliances alone
- Corridor and emergency lighting, laundry and HVAC sit on top of this.
Four ways hotels cut this bill
- Key-card power switching. The single biggest saving: unoccupied rooms stop burning TV standby, lighting and dryer heat. Grid-mounted key switches are a standard part of our BG grid specifications.
- LED everything. A room still on 300W of halogen spends ~47p/night on light alone versus ~9p on LED — the swap pays back in months. See our lighting range.
- Auto shut-off irons. Safety first, but an iron left face-up on standby also drinks power — hotel irons with auto shut-off close both risks.
- Right-sized kettles. A 0.5L hospitality kettle boils in half the time of a 1.7L domestic one — guests rarely need more than two cups. Compare in our kettle guide.
Want the per-room arithmetic for your property and tariff? Email [email protected] with your room count — or check appliance combinations on our free load calculator.
Source for unit rate: Ofgem energy price cap, 1 July – 30 September 2026 (26.11p/kWh average direct debit unit rate, incl. VAT). Appliance figures: Kent Traders product specifications.
