How much does a heated towel rail cost to run per year?

A typical 80W heated towel rail left on 24/7 uses around 700 kWh a year. At NZ average rates of 38c/kWh, that works out to about $265 per year, or $22 per month - for heating a towel.

Does fitting a timer to a heated towel rail really save money?

Yes. Running a towel rail two hours before you shower rather than 24/7 cuts the annual cost from about $265 to around $22 - a 90% saving with no loss of function. A mechanical timer from Mitre10 costs under $30 and pays itself back within a month.

Should I just turn my heated towel rail off at the wall?

If you do not mind damp towels, yes - it is the cheapest option. Most heated towel rails are there for comfort rather than drying, so a bathroom fan or opening the window after a shower works almost as well. A timer is the middle-ground option.

Notable

Is your heated towel rail costing you $200 a year?

Published 15 April 2026· 3 min read

Yes. Probably more, actually.

A standard NZ heated towel rail pulls about 80 watts of electricity. That's nothing - barely more than a desk lamp. Except that it's on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, because the plumber who installed it wired it into the bathroom lights and nobody ever turns it off.

The actual cost

At 80 W running continuously:

80 W × 24 hours = 1.92 kWh per day
× 365 days = 701 kWh per year

At the February 2026 MBIE retail rates, that works out to:

Wellington City (36.1c/kWh): ~$253/year
Christchurch (36.6c/kWh): ~$257/year
Invercargill (37.3c/kWh): ~$262/year
Auckland Central (39.7c/kWh): ~$278/year
Balclutha (50.3c/kWh): ~$353/year

The "$200/year" number you sometimes see quoted is from older Consumer NZ articles when power was cheaper. In 2026, a towel rail left on 24/7 is comfortably $250-$355 a year depending on where you live.

The fix: a $25 timer

You don't need the rail hot at 3am. You need warm towels in the morning and after your evening shower. Two options:

Mechanical timer switch ($25-40 at any hardware store): drop-in replacement for the wall switch. Set it to come on for 2 hours in the morning and 2 in the evening. Cuts the cost by ~80%.
Smart plug or smart switch ($30-50): if you want to set a schedule from your phone, or turn it off entirely when you're away.

A timer paying for itself in six weeks is rare in the home energy space - this is one of the easiest savings you'll find.

Work out your own number

Plug your region and usage into the NZ Power Bill Calculator to see exactly what your towel rail is adding to your bill, and which other always-on appliances are quietly doing the same.

Related guides

Average NZ power bill by region (2026) - put your towel rail cost in context
Why did my power bill suddenly double? - always-on appliances are a common culprit