All the below figures have been calculated with the average cost of electricity being £0.28 per kWh. This may vary depending on the individual’s tariff and is expected to rise in October.

Electric toothbrush vs manual toothbrush

The average electric toothbrush takes up to 12 hours to recharge fully. When plugged in, electric toothbrushes use 2.5 watts of electricity, which costs less than 1p (0.0084p) to charge for 12 hours. Depending on the model, the average electric toothbrush has a 48-minute usage time until it runs out of battery, a figure based on two minutes of use twice a day. This means the average electric toothbrush will need recharging every 12 days, resulting in the annual cost for your electric toothbrush being just 25p.

An electric toothbrush is definitely considered to be more of an investment than a manual toothbrush. Firstly, electric toothbrushes cost around £30-£100 and toothbrush head replacements cost around £5 each. A manual toothbrush, however, can be purchased for much cheaper, usually less than £5. However, as the cost of running an electric toothbrush will only add 25p to your bill, this shouldn’t be a deterrent to investing, but it should be considered.

Electric shaver vs disposable razors

On average an electric shaver uses 20 watts. For ease, let’s say the average time per use is an hour and it is used every day (as this is the maximum, and therefore most expensive amount it could be.)  Over the year this would add £2.04 to your electricity bill.

Disposable razors should be used once and then thrown away, as they tend to become blunt extremely quickly. Not only will this eventually cost much more than simply buying an electric shaver and using it daily, but this is also wasteful as disposable razors are usually made from plastic which can’t be recycled.

Curling tongs vs rollers

The average curling iron uses 200 watts when in use, so per hour this will cost £0.06. Assuming you use a curling iron for one hour every day, this will add £21.90 to your annual bill.

Rollers, on the other hand, can be purchased inexpensively and don’t require any electricity to use, meaning they just require a one-time purchase and no further upkeep. The cost of rollers can vary, from under £10 to around £30, depending on the type you go for and where you get them from, but this is still cheaper than investing in a curling iron and using it daily.

It is worth noting, however, that some do question the efficiency of rollers, especially when compared with a curling iron. However, there are numerous hacks and tips online that explain how to use them efficiently, so this could be a worthwhile switch.

Nose hair trimmer or tweezers

Electric nose hair trimmers typically do not use much energy, with the average model using just 0.003kWh. As the nature of this device is for quick touch-ups and will rarely be switched on for longer than a few minutes, the cost of running this is minimal and won’t make much difference to your energy bill.

It is advisable to use a hair trimmer instead of tweezers, as not only is it inexpensive but a hair trimmer is much safer than using tweezers. Tweezing nose hairs can lead to infections or ingrown hairs, which is not worth risking for the sake of a couple of pence per year.

Hair clipper vs razor

Hair clippers that are specifically for personal use, usually are around 15 watts, however, it’s worth noting that more professional clippers do use 40 watts. If used continuously for an hour, using a hair clipper costs £0.004, so assuming monthly haircuts, this will add just £0.05 to your energy bill.

Epilator vs waxing or shaving

When plugged in, either in use or charging, an average epilator uses just 0.0075 kWh. As it takes an average of four hours to charge completely, this will add on less than 1p to your bill (£0.008). Although an epilator is more of an investment, as newer models can cost up to £120, this investment is more worthwhile than salon visits.

The average cost of a waxing visit is around £30 a month but this can increase significantly depending on where you go and what you get done. Per year, this can add up to £360, which is a much cheaper figure than the epilator and the addition to your electricity bills.

To summarise, the electronic devices that are used here are relatively modern so normally don’t use too much energy to power and can charge up relatively quickly.

Depending on your lifestyle, it is not necessarily advisable to ditch electronics to save money and reduce your energy consumption, as they aren’t much more expensive and can make your life much easier.

Jenny McCormac is money and consumer expert from BrandRated