Treadmills are popular fitness equipment, but you have to find one that fits your budget. Luckily, trustworthy brands retail quality products even at lower costs, so you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg for your running band.
But what about after your purchase?
Will you have to fork out exorbitant amounts to cover your electricity bill? No, you’ll end up paying anywhere around £2 a month more. Obviously, this is just an estimate and there are different facts that come into play when calculating your exact costs. But we’ll discuss that in the article below!
We’ll analyse how much electricity a treadmill uses based on five crucial factors, after which we’ll look at a few practical examples to put this expense into perspective.
Keep reading below!
Table of Contents
Treadmill Power Consumption Factors
When assessing the electricity that your treadmill uses, you should take into account the following factors:
Wattage
Wattage shows your treadmill’s power, and you should see this measurement clearly stated in the official description features. Most home treadmills use about 600-700 watts, though a typical range would be between 300 and 900 watts.
Obviously, a 300 W treadmill requires less electricity than a 900 W machine.
Let’s put this into perspective:
- A 32-inch LCD TV consumes 70 Watts/ hour
- A laptop consumes 50 W/ hour
- A vacuum cleaner uses 500-1200 W/ hour
- A microwave uses 600-1500 W/ hour
- The average UK household uses 8-10,000 W/ day
Hours Of Use
Apart from the specific wattage/ hour, you should also consider how much you’re using the treadmill each day. Because obviously, the less you’re running on it, the less electricity it’s going to use.
So which type of user are you?
Some people work out daily for at least 30-45 minutes/ sessions. Others only use the treadmill when they can’t walk or jog outside because of the weather.
If you’re in the first category, prepare for a larger bill.
Speed
If you’re using your treadmill at slower speeds, it’s going to require less energy. But, conversely, if you’re pouring your soul out on the running band, it’s going to need more electricity to power up its engine.
There’s a problem, though:
It’s more challenging to calculate exactly how your speed translates into your monthly electricity bill. First, you’d need to know precisely how fast you’ve walked/ run and for how long, and then you’d need to do the math required for each interval.
If that’s not something you’re up for, here’s a more straightforward solution:
Take into account the speed you’ve used the most throughout your exercise session.
Incline
Incline affects your treadmill’s electricity consumption because its engine works harder at steeper angles. However, a high incline doesn’t challenge your running band as much as a high speed.
Basically, this factor is secondary to the ones we discussed above, but it will still account for something.
Treadmill Age
We all know that older machinery needs more electricity to run correctly. One reason is that age affects your treadmill’s efficiency. The other is that newer models have more high-tech motors that aim to protect the environment and reduce your household’s overall costs.
The good news is you can stop your treadmill from ageing ugly.
Here’s how:
Follow the manufacturer’s indications and warnings to make sure you’re using the treadmill properly. For example, respect your machine’s weight limit and clean it only with the allowed substances. You should also do regular check-ups to keep it in perfect working order.
Practical Example: Do Treadmills Use A Lot Of Electricity?
We won’t keep you in suspense, so we’ll explain how to work out the numbers.
Let’s say your treadmill has a 500 W motor. If you’re using your treadmill 30 minutes/ day, 12 times/ month, that means 6 hours/ month total. Multiply with 500 W, and you get 3000 W consumption, aka 3 kW (one kilowatt equals 1,000 Watts).
The current kW price is 17.2 p, which entails a cost of £0.515/ month.
If you’re working out every day, for an hour at high speeds and incline, you can maybe fatten up your electricity bill with £2/ month instead of £0.5.
Or maybe you’re a gym rat who wants a gym-grade machine to use and abuse for hours per day. In that case, you can maybe get to £10/ month – and that’s a hard “maybe.”
Horsepower Explained
You’ll notice that some treadmills have horsepower measurements instead of watts. Here’s the deal:
1 HP = 745.7 Watts = 0.7457 kW
So, if you’re getting a 2 HP treadmill, that machine will use 1.491 kW.
If you suck at math or don’t want to do all the calculations, use an online calculator.
Conclusion. Is A Treadmill Expensive To Run?
A treadmill isn’t expensive to run, compared to a vacuum cleaner, microwave or the average UK household’s daily electricity consumption. Besides, we did the math for you: an average treadmill user won’t spend more than £0.5-1/ month to power up their treadmill.
By comparison, a cheap gym membership subscription costs £15/ month, while the average one would be £40/ month.
So, no excuses. If you get a treadmill now, you’ll save significant amounts in the long run – even if you’re pushing yourself during long sessions. Plus, you’ll shape your body according to your goals without any buyers’ remorse.
She had to trade the gym for home fitness equipment when her two little angels were born. But she successfully managed to make the transition, and sharing her vast fitness experience online is the engine that keeps this website going.
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