How hot does a 2000 watt hair dryer get?

Q: How hot does a hair dryer get on low?

If youre using a lower heat setting, the air will be closer to 80 degrees. Conversely, if you use a high heat setting, it will be closer to 140 degrees Fahrenheit or even higher.

While not as power-hungry as appliances like air conditioners or washing machines, it’s important to know how much electricity a hair dryer uses when you’re looking at your whole home’s energy usage.

Table of Contents Show

Key takeaways about powering a hair dryer
In this article
How much electricity does a hair dryer use?
Watts, amps, voltage, and more: what do they mean?
How much does it cost to power a hair dryer?
Calculate how much energy your own hair dryer uses
Frequently asked questions about powering a hair dryer
How much money can solar panels save you?
How hot does a hair dryer get on high?
What is the highest watts for a hair dryer?
How hot does a hair dryer get on low?
Is a hair dryer as hot as a heat gun?

Key takeaways about powering a hair dryer

On average, hair dryers use about 1,500 to 2,000 watts of electricity.
Using a hair dryer for 10 minutes per day will use about 9.13 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month and 109.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
A hair dryer costs an average of $1.30 to use for a month and $15.54 to use for a year.
The best way to save money on electricity is to install solar panels. Start comparing your options on the EnergySage Marketplace today.

How much electricity does a hair dryer use?

Generally, hair dryers use between 1,500 and 2,000 watts (W) of electricity, depending on the model. hair dryers usually use between 15 and 20 amps, and connect to a 120-volt outlet.

How much you use your hair dryer has the biggest impact on how much electricity it uses over time. Assuming an average hair dryer needs 1,800 W to run:

Using your hair dryer for 5 minutes per day results in 1.05 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per week, 4.56 kWh per month, and 54.75 kWh per year.
10 minutes per day of hair dryer usage comes to 2.1 kWh per week, 9.13 kWh per month, and 109.5 kWh per year.
On the upper end, running a hair dryer for 15 minutes per day uses 3.15 kWh of electricity per week, 13.69 kWh per month, and 164.25 kWh per year.

Different wattage hair dryers use different amounts of electricity over the course of a year. Assuming you run your hair dryer a moderate amount (10 minutes per day, or 70 minutes per week), here’s how much electricity you’ll use over the course of a year for different wattage hair dryers:

How many watts do different hair dryers use in a year?

Hair dryer wattageHours per year runYearly kWh of electricity1,500 W60.8 hours91.2 kWh1,600 W60.8 hours97.3 kWh1,700 W60.8 hours103.4 kWh1,800 W60.8 hours109.5 kWh1,900 W60.8 hours115.5 kWh2,000 W60.8 hours121.6 kWh

We’ll mostly be referring to the electricity used by hair dryers in terms of kWh in this article. The reason is simple: your electric bill is measured in kWh, and you get charged based on the kWh of electricity you use per month!

Watts, amps, voltage, and more: what do they mean?

There are a lot of terms you can use to describe how electricity flows and is used by appliances. We’ve already mentioned most of them – here are a few definitions to keep things straight:

Volts (V): volts (short for voltage) are measures of electrical pressure differences. Put simply, voltage is the speed of electricity passing through a circuit.
Amps (A): amps (short for amperes) are a measure of electrical current. Put simply, amps are the amount of electrons (which make up electricity) flowing through a circuit.
Watts (W) and kilowatts (kW): multiplying volts x amps gets you watts (or wattage). Put simply, watts are the rate of electricity consumption. A kilowatt is just 1,000 watts.
Kilowatt-hours (kWh): lastly, kilowatt-hours are how your electric bill measures your energy usage. Simply put, kilowatt-hours are electricity consumption over time.

You can think of these terms like water flowing through a pipe. Voltage is the water pressure, amps are the amount of water flowing past any point, and wattage is the overall rate of water flow through the pipe.

How much does it cost to power a hair dryer?

When you get your monthly electric bill, you only see the total amount you’re charged, not how much each appliance contributes to your final bill. Based on an average wattage of 1,800 W for hair dryers (amounting to 109.5 kWh/year if you use your hair dryer like an average household would) and using state average electricity rates, here’s how the cost to run a hair dryer pans out over the course of a month and a year:

Monthly and yearly costs to run a hair dryer by state

StateAverage electricity rateCost per monthCost per yearCalifornia22.00 ¢ / kWh$2.01$24.09New York20.59 ¢ / kWh$1.88$22.55Texas12.56 ¢ / kWh$1.15$13.75Massachusetts22.59 ¢ / kWh$2.06$24.74Florida12.21 ¢ / kWh$1.11$13.37Virginia12.58 ¢ / kWh$1.15$13.78New Jersey16.20 ¢ / kWh$1.48$17.74Maryland14.48 ¢ / kWh$1.32$15.86Washington10.38 ¢ / kWh$0.95$11.37US Average14.19 ¢ / kWh$1.30$15.54

Note: average electricity rates are based on October 2021 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Looking to offset your electric bills (and the energy these appliances use) with solar? When you sign up (for free!) on the EnergySage Marketplace, you can compare solar quotes from high-quality, local solar installers. Make sure to keep in mind your current and future electricity usage, and talk about how that could change with your installer for the most accurate quotes.

Calculate how much energy your own hair dryer uses

If you want to know how much electricity your Wi-Fi router uses (or at least is supposed to use), take an estimated yearly electricity use in kWh and multiply this number by the average electricity rate in your area to get an estimate of how much you spend to power your Wi-Fi router each year. You can often find a wattage rating in the spec sheet for your router. For an estimated monthly cost, divide the estimated yearly cost by 12.

Frequently asked questions about powering a hair dryer

What’s the best time to run a hair dryer?

If you’re on a time-of-use (TOU) rate plan, you are charged different amounts for electricity throughout the day. In general, it’s cheaper to use appliances during “off-peak” hours, which are usually overnight.

What size battery do you need to back up a hair dryer?

All popular home batteries can power a hair dryer: most lithium-ion batteries like the Tesla Powerwall or Generac PWRcell have a power rating of 4 to 5 kW or higher and 10+ kWh of usable capacity. Hair dryers use about 1,800 W (1.8 kW) of power at any one time, meaning a battery will be plenty suitable for backing up and powering your hair dryer, even for long periods.

How many solar panels does it take to run a hair dryer?

On average hair dryers use about 800 W of electricity to stay powered. With solar panels rated at around 350 W, you’ll be able to power a hair dryer with about three standard solar panels.

What are ENERGY STAR appliances?

ENERGY STAR is a U.S. government-backed system that certifies how energy efficient appliances are. If an appliance is better than the average appliance in its category by a certain amount, it is labeled as “ENERGY STAR certified.” ENERGY STAR appliances cost less money to run, given that they are more efficient with the electricity they use.

How much money can solar panels save you?

Solar savings vary widely, and your unique savings depend on factors like electricity usage, location, and electric rates and plans. In general, most homeowners can expect to save somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 over the lifetime of a solar panel system. On average, it takes between 7 and 8 years for most homeowners who shop for solar on EnergySage to get their solar panels to pay for themselves.

Going solar is one of the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate your electric bill, and you should make sure you are getting several quotes from reputable installers before you decide to move forward. Visit the EnergySage Marketplace to get solar quotes from installers in your area and begin comparing options.

How hot does a hair dryer get on high?

Hair Dryers typically heat to between 80 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. With maximum heat, it can reach an extreme temperature like 140 degrees, which is enough to bake not only your hair but also the skin on your scalp. Stylists usually suggest keeping the setting on a moderate-high setting.

What is the highest watts for a hair dryer?

Overall, hair dryer wattage can range from slightly lower than 500W to as high as 3600W. However, 1000W to 2100W is the more common range, and 1875W is the most common wattage. Hair dryers typically use 1,875 watts (1.875 kWh) on the highest power setting, 975 watts (.

How hot does a hair dryer get on low?

If you're using a lower heat setting, the air will be closer to 80 degrees. Conversely, if you use a high heat setting, it will be closer to 140 degrees Fahrenheit or even higher.

Is a hair dryer as hot as a heat gun?

A standard hair dryer will have a maximum temperature of around 140°C. Heat guns are used for applications such as shrink wrapping and removing paint so the temperatures are much higher than that of a hair dryer, varying from 100°C and 700°C.