The purchase price is only where the sums begin

You are choosing between two printers: one for 59 euros, one for 89 euros. At first glance, the cheaper one is the obvious choice. But comparing running costs means not stopping at the purchase price and asking instead what a device really costs while you use it. With many products, these ongoing costs clearly outstrip the difference in purchase price after only a short time.

What counts as running costs

Depending on the product, running costs are made up of different items: electricity for household appliances, ink or toner for printers, water for washing machines and dishwashers, filters or bags for vacuum cleaners, pods or beans for coffee machines. Each of these comes round again and again over the whole time you use the device, while the purchase price is only paid once. That is exactly why a cheaper device with high running costs can end up more expensive within a few years than a pricier device with low running costs.

The worked example: two printers compared

Printer A costs 59 euros, and a matching cartridge set for 45 euros lasts for about 300 pages, which makes 0.15 euros per page. Printer B costs 89 euros, and its cartridge set for 30 euros lasts for around 500 pages, so 0.06 euros per page. If you print 1,000 pages a year, printer A costs 150 euros in ink alone, while printer B costs 60 euros. Add the purchase price, and after one year that comes to 209 euros for printer A and 149 euros for printer B. After two years, printer A is at 359 euros and printer B at 209 euros, a difference of 150 euros in favour of the device that looked more expensive at first glance.

Where running costs are easily underestimated

Consumables such as ink, pods or filters are especially easy to overlook, because they are sold separately from the device and do not even appear on the same page when you buy it. The standby consumption of a device that is always plugged in also quietly adds up without you noticing it day to day. With devices that have moving parts, such as vacuum cleaners or coffee machines, there are also maintenance and wear costs that only make themselves felt after a few months or years.

• Consumables such as ink, pods, filters or bags that have to be bought again regularly.
• Energy and water use while the device is running, especially with devices used every day.
• Maintenance and parts that wear out, which only come up after a while and are rarely thought about when buying.

How the difference adds up over time

After three years, printer A would be at 509 euros and printer B at 269 euros; after five years, it would be 809 euros against 389 euros. The gap grows with every extra year both devices are used, while the original difference in purchase price, 30 euros in favour of printer A, has long since stopped mattering. With a device you only use now and then, say 100 pages a year instead of 1,000, the same difference would hardly be noticeable, because the ink costs would then only come to 15 euros against 6 euros a year. How much low running costs pay off therefore always depends on how often you use the device yourself, not just on the manufacturer's figures for the cost per page.

How to roughly estimate running costs before you buy

Manufacturer figures for consumption per page, per cup or per wash, where available, give you a first basis for comparison. With household appliances, the energy label also gives you a guide, as the article Household appliances: check the energy label first describes. If there are no specific figures, it helps to divide the price of the most important consumable by its stated yield, as in the worked example with the two printers, so that you at least get a rough figure to compare two models.

Repairability as part of the running costs

Besides consumables and energy, how easily a device can be repaired when something goes wrong, rather than replaced entirely, also plays a part. A device where a single component can be swapped out can stay cheaper over the years than a model where every minor fault means buying a whole new one. The article Repairs, spare parts and the right to repair goes into this in more detail.

The purchase price still matters

Comparing running costs does not mean ignoring the purchase price, but putting it in its proper place. A valid discount code lowers the one-off purchase price, but it does nothing to change a device's running costs. The two calculations therefore belong together: the one-off saving from a code in the coupon overview on daily-coupons.info, and the recurring saving from a device with lower running costs. In the category overview, you can often compare several models with different manufacturer figures side by side.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out how high a device's running costs are?

Manufacturer figures for consumption per page, cup or wash and, for household appliances, the energy label give you a first guide. If there are no such figures, it helps to divide the price of the most important consumable by its stated yield.

Is a more expensive device always worth it because of lower running costs?

Not always. If you rarely use it, the running costs stay low overall, so a higher purchase price often does not pay for itself within the time you use the device. With frequent, regular use, on the other hand, the difference has a much bigger effect.

Does a discount code change the running costs too?

No. A discount code affects the one-off purchase price, not ongoing costs such as energy or consumables, which carry on regardless of what you originally paid.

Where can I find reliable figures on consumables and their yield?

Manufacturers' product data sheets usually state the yield of cartridges, filters or pods. Comparing these figures across several models shows how much the running costs can differ despite a similar purchase price.

Does the result change if I only use the device rarely?

Yes, considerably. With little use, even high running costs per unit hardly matter overall, so the purchase price should then carry more weight than with a device that is in use every day.