Electric iron: units per month in Pakistan
Short answer. A 1,200 watt iron cycling under thermostat control averages roughly 700 to 800 watts over a session. Half an hour a day is about 0.4 units and around 11 units a month — modest for a household, but a home laundry ironing five hours a day is at 110 units a month and should treat it as a real cost.
Power draw
- Low: 750 W
- Typical: 1200 W — the figure used in every calculation below
- High: 2000 W
Element rating. The thermostat cycles it, so average draw over an ironing session is typically half to two-thirds of the rating.
Units and cost by usage pattern
Each row is 1200 W × the hours shown ÷ 1,000, over 30 days. The three cost columns exist because the rupee cost of a unit depends entirely on which slab your month lands in — the same consumption costs a light user and a heavy summer household very different amounts. Rates are illustrative and not a substitute for the tariff table printed on your own bill.
| Usage pattern | Units / day | Units / month | At Rs 12.5/unit | At Rs 27.5/unit | At Rs 36/unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half an hour daily | 0.6 | 18 | Rs 225 | Rs 495 | Rs 648 |
| Weekly batch of two hours | 0.35 | 10.4 | Rs 130 | Rs 286 | Rs 374 |
| Home tailoring or a small laundry (5 hours) | 6 | 180 | Rs 2,250 | Rs 4,950 | Rs 6,480 |
Rate bands: Rs 12.5 — light user, protected (≈150 units/month); Rs 27.5 — average household (≈250 units/month); Rs 36 — heavy summer month (700+ units). This appliance runs all year, so the monthly figure applies in every cycle.
The thermostat means it is not always drawing
An iron heats to setpoint and then cycles the element to hold it. Multiplying the full rating by session length overstates consumption by a third or more.
It also means the first few minutes, while the sole plate heats from cold, are the most power-intensive part of any session.
Batching is the whole saving
Because heating from cold is the expensive part, ironing ten garments in one session costs much less than ironing one garment on ten occasions.
Ironing damp clothes rather than dry ones also cuts time considerably, which is why taking things off the line slightly damp is a genuine efficiency measure rather than folklore.
How to use less
- Iron in batches, not one shirt at a time.
- Start with fabrics needing the lowest temperature and work upwards, so the iron heats once rather than cycling up and down.
- Iron slightly damp clothing — it needs less heat and less time.
- Switch off a few minutes before finishing and use the residual heat on the last items.
Frequently asked questions
Does a steam iron use more electricity than a dry iron?
Yes, because generating steam takes additional energy. It also irons faster on heavy fabrics, so total session energy is often similar for the same amount of work.
Compare with
- Washing machine — 500 W typical
- Clothes dryer — 2500 W typical
Filed under laundry and ironing in the full appliance index. Add your own hours in the consumption calculator, or open your actual bill with the reference number lookup.