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Hand dryers vs paper towels: running costs, hygiene and waste compared

Comparing hand dryers vs paper towels fairly means adding up everything each one costs to run, not just the electricity or the towels. On our worked example, using the official 2025 electricity price for small businesses, a dryer's electricity costs a fraction of a penny per dry, so in that example towels cost more to run. But the result depends on your towel price, the hygiene evidence is mixed, and NHS England's infection control manual says staff should use disposable paper towels.

  • A worked running cost example with every assumption and sum shown
  • What the hygiene studies found, and who paid for them
  • Waste, blocked toilets, noise and power cuts: which suits which building

By the Commercial Washroom Hub editorial team · Last reviewed

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Hand dryers vs paper towels: key facts

Are hand dryers cheaper than paper towels?

Usually cheaper to run, yes: in our worked example a dryer's electricity costs under a penny per dry, while towels cost more once bins, waste and refilling are added. But dryers cost money to buy, fit and maintain, so payback depends on how busy your washroom is.

Paper towels are a running cost: you buy, store, refill and dispose of them. Hand dryers are mostly an upfront cost, then electricity and maintenance. The answer depends on four things you can measure:

Hygiene, noise, waste and who uses the room matter too, and in clinical areas the guidance points to paper towels.

What does each method cost to run per year?

In our worked example (250 days a year, 29p per kWh, a placeholder towel price of 1p per sheet), 500 dries a day cost about £170 a year in electricity with a high-speed dryer, about £810 with a traditional warm air dryer, and about £3,210 with paper towels including bags, waste and refilling time.

This is an illustration, not a quote. Replace the assumptions with your own figures.

Assumptions used

Dryer electricity per dry = kW × seconds ÷ 3,600 × pence per kWh.

Paper towels per dry = towels + bags and waste + labour.

Dries a dayDries a year (× 250)High-speed dryer electricityWarm air dryer electricityPaper towels (all-in)
10025,000117 kWh, about £34559 kWh, about £16250,000 towels, about £642
500125,000583 kWh, about £1692,795 kWh, about £811250,000 towels, about £3,210
1,000250,0001,167 kWh, about £3385,590 kWh, about £1,621500,000 towels, about £6,419

Figures are rounded. Dryer columns are electricity only: add servicing, filters and standby power. The towel price matters most: halve it, or use one towel instead of two, and the towel column falls by about 40%.

Plug in your own numbers

  1. Estimate dries a day, for example towels bought per year ÷ towels per dry ÷ days open.
  2. Get each dryer's rated power (kW) and dry time (seconds).
  3. Take the unit rate from your electricity bill.
  4. Price towels, liners, waste and cleaners' time from your invoices and rotas.
  5. Yearly cost = cost per dry × dries a day × days open.

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For UK businesses and organisations. We don't sell or install products ourselves. Prices and terms are agreed directly with the supplier; there's no obligation.

How long do hand dryers take to pay for themselves?

Payback in years = the total cost to buy and install the dryers ÷ the yearly running cost saving. We don't give dryer prices because they vary by type and building; use a written quote.

Using the worked example above, the yearly saving from switching a washroom handling 500 dries a day from towels to high-speed dryers is about £3,210 − £169 = about £3,040 a year, before dryer maintenance.

Payback method
If the dryers you need cost £X in total, installed, payback = X ÷ yearly saving.
Example: if X were £3,040, payback would be one year. If X were £6,080, it would be two years.

What changes the sum:

Renting dryers is another option: compare the total rental cost over the contract with buying outright.

Are paper towels more hygienic than hand dryers?

Several studies, including one in three European hospitals, found more bacteria in jet air dryer washrooms than paper towel ones. Others found jet dryers left fewer bacteria on hands, or that both spread very little. The evidence is mixed, and some studies on both sides were industry-funded.

Most of this research uses deliberately contaminated hands in test conditions, measuring how far droplets travel or how many microbes stay on hands. None measures infections in real buildings.

Studies that favoured paper towels

Studies that favoured dryers or found little difference

Reading the evidence fairly: studies of spread into the room have mostly favoured paper towels; studies of bacteria left on hands are split. Industry money appears on both sides. All agree hands should be dried thoroughly.

What does official guidance say about hand drying in healthcare?

NHS England's National Infection Prevention and Control Manual says clinical hand wash basins must have wall-mounted liquid soap and paper towel dispensers, and that staff should dry hands thoroughly after washing using disposable paper towels.

The manual applies in all care settings. Its hand hygiene section says:

So in clinical and care areas, plan for paper towels and talk to the infection prevention and control team before changing anything. Scotland has its own National Infection Prevention and Control Manual, and Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.

For public and visitor toilets in healthcare buildings, note that the multi-centre hospital study above looked at exactly those washrooms.

Which is better for the environment: hand dryers or paper towels?

Two peer-reviewed life-cycle studies found dryers had a lower impact per dry than paper towels: high-speed dryers in one, a conventional dryer in the other. But the first couldn't separate a standard dryer from paper towels, results depend on assumptions such as towel weight, dry time and the electricity grid, and neither used the UK grid.

A life-cycle assessment adds up the impact of making, transporting, using and disposing of a product.

Carbon from dryer electricity. The UK government's 2026 conversion factor for electricity generated is 0.131 kg CO2e per kWh, plus 0.013 kg for transmission and distribution losses. In our worked example, 1,000 dries a day with a high-speed dryer uses about 1,167 kWh a year: 1,167 × 0.131 = about 153 kg CO2e. The warm air dryer (5,590 kWh) would be about 732 kg.

Paper towel waste. The DESNZ factors also cover paper by tonne and disposal route, if your sustainability team reports waste emissions.

What practical problems come with dryers and towels?

Paper towels bring litter, blocked toilets, empty dispensers and full bins. Dryers bring noise, queues at peak times, vandalism, and no drying at all during a power cut or breakdown.

IssuePaper towelsHand dryers
Blocked toilets and drainsTowels flushed down toilets can block them and the drainsNo towels to flush
Litter and messTowels on the floor when bins overflowWater drips on walls and floors below the dryer
Running outEmpty dispensers mean people leave with wet handsWorks until it breaks: needs checks and a repair route
Staff timeRefilling, emptying bins, ordering and storing stockCleaning, filter changes, occasional repairs
NoiseQuietCan be loud, which matters near offices, in schools and for people with sensory needs
Vandalism and fireDispensers can be set alight or emptiedUnits can be hit, jammed or pulled off the wall
Power cutsStill workDon't work without electricity

Whichever you choose, people using an accessible toilet need to reach it. See our guide to disabled toilet regulations, and if you're fitting out a new accessible room, our Doc M pack guide.

Which is better for my building: hand dryers or paper towels?

Paper towels suit clinical areas and low-use rooms where dryers wouldn't pay back. Dryers tend to suit busy public, office, retail and leisure washrooms where towel costs, litter and blockages are the problem. Some buildings use both.

A mixed approach often works: dryers in the busiest washrooms, towels in accessible toilets, first aid rooms, kitchens and clinical areas. If you're also planning a Changing Places toilet, include its hand drying in the same brief.

What should I ask a supplier before switching to hand dryers?

Ask for rated power and dry time, noise level, filter costs, warranty and a fitted price including electrical work, then run your own numbers.

  1. Rated power (kW) and dry time (seconds) so you can work out electricity per dry.
  2. Noise level and the distance it was measured at.
  3. Filters: change interval and replacement cost.
  4. Installed price, including new circuits and making good.
  5. Warranty and repair times, including after vandalism.
  6. How many units they recommend for your peak, and why.
  7. Who does the electrical work and what certificate you'll get.

Be wary of headline savings not based on your building.

Ask for a hand dryer survey and quote

We'll pass your details to one supplier or installer who can look at your washrooms and price the work.

For UK businesses and organisations. We don't sell or install products ourselves. Prices and terms are agreed directly with the supplier; there's no obligation.

Hand dryers for schoolsBreak-time peaks, vandal resistance, noise and heights

Hand dryers vs paper towels: frequently asked questions

Are hand dryers cheaper than paper towels?

Usually cheaper to run. On our worked example a high-speed dryer's electricity costs about 0.14p per dry, against about 2.6p for paper towels once bags, waste and refilling are added. Dryers cost money to buy and fit, so check the payback.

How much electricity does a hand dryer use per dry?

Multiply the rated power in kW by the dry time in seconds and divide by 3,600. A 1.4 kW dryer running for 12 seconds uses about 0.0047 kWh, about 0.14p at 29p per kWh.

What electricity price should I use?

Use the unit rate on your bill. As a guide, government statistics show small non-domestic users paid an average of 29.09p per kWh in 2025, including the Climate Change Levy and excluding VAT.

How do I work out what paper towels cost per dry?

Divide the case price by the number of sheets, then multiply by towels used per dry. Add bin liners, waste collection and the staff time spent refilling and emptying.

How long do hand dryers take to pay for themselves?

Divide the total installed cost of the dryers by the yearly running cost saving. Take off maintenance and the cost of any towels you keep.

Are paper towels more hygienic than hand dryers?

Several studies found jet air dryers spread more microbes into the washroom than paper towels. Others found jet dryers left fewer bacteria on hands. The evidence is mixed and some studies were industry-funded. Drying hands thoroughly is what matters most.

Can I use hand dryers in a hospital or clinic?

Not in clinical areas without the infection control team's agreement. NHS England's infection control manual says clinical hand wash basins must have paper towel dispensers and staff should use disposable paper towels.

Are hand dryers better for the environment?

Two peer-reviewed life-cycle studies found dryers had a lower impact per dry than paper towels. Results depend on towel weight, dry time and the electricity grid, and neither study used the UK grid.

Do hand dryers work in a power cut?

No. Keep a small stock of paper towels if your building must stay open during outages.

Do I need an electrician to fit a hand dryer?

Yes. It's electrical work for a competent electrician, to the UK wiring regulations (BS 7671).

Get a hand dryer quote for your washrooms

Free and no obligation. Takes about a minute.

For UK businesses and organisations. We don't sell or install products ourselves. Prices and terms are agreed directly with the supplier; there's no obligation.

Sources

We checked the facts on this page against these sources on 11 November 2026:

This guide is general information for UK organisations, not design, building control, electrical, legal or health and safety advice. Commercial Washroom Hub is an independent guide. We don't make, sell or install washroom products ourselves. If you ask us to, we'll put you in touch with one commercial washroom supplier or installer from our partners.

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