Electric propagators are a great way to improve the germination rate of seeds and the rooting of cuttings, but an electric propagator by the fact that it is powered by electricity will have a running cost. Here we will try to answer the question 'Are Electric Propagators Expensive To Run?' and will provide advice on using an electric propagator efficiently so that its running costs are kept to a minimum.
First, lets take a look at how we calculate the running costs of an electric propagator.
Calculating The Cost Of Using An Electric Propagator
The cost of running an electric propagator will be affected by a number of factors:
Heat - does the electric propagator include a heating element? If it does, then this should be stated in watts when purchasing your propagator.
Thermostat - if your electric propagator includes a heating element, does it have a thermostat to control the temperature? This will affect how long your propagator will use electricity and will help to keep running costs to a minimum.
Lights - are grow lights included with your propagator? If they are then their wattage needs to be added into the overall running costs.
Water - is water used in the propagator and if it is, does it incorporate a pump? You will need to add the costs of running a pump if this is included with your propagator.
We have produced a simple table below which is designed to help you calculate the maximum running costs involved in using an electric propagator. It shows the watts being used to power the propagator for both one hour and one day, when run constantly - so assuming the heat (if applicable) is never turned off.
Costs are based on an electricity cost of 29p per kWh (the current UK Price Cap January 2024 - excluding the UK daily standing charge of 55p per day).
Electric Propagator | Wattage |
Cost To Run (1 hour) |
Cost To Run (1 day) |
Grow Light Garden Micro | 11 watts | less than 1p | 8p |
Grow Light Garden Standard | 48 watts | 1p | 33p |
Bio Green Hollandia | 12.5 watts | less than 1p | 9p |
Mini Fixed Temperature | 40 watts | 1p | 28p |
Maxi Fixed Temperature | 50 watts | 1p | 35p |
Heat & Grow Variable | 50 watts | 1p | 35p |
Window Sill | 13 watts | less than 1p | 9p |
Fab4 | 8 watts | less than 1p | 6p |
Standard Professional Variable | 50 watts | 1p | 35p |
Jumbo Professional Variable |
100 watts | 3p | 70p |
Quadruple |
100 watts | 3p | 70p |
5ft 8in Electric Blanket | 130 watts | 4p | 90p |
7ft 6in Electric Blanket | 180 watts | 5p | £1.25 |
Bio Green Jumbo | 150 watts | 4p | £1.04 |
Bio Green Warming Pad 10in x 14in | 15 watts | less than 1p | 10p |
Bio Green Warming Pad 12in x 24in | 32 watts | less than 1p | 22p |
Bio Green Warming Pad 16in x 25in | 42 watts | 1p | 29p |
Root!t Heat Mat 10in x 14in | 11 watts | less than 1p | 8p |
Root!t Heat Mat 16in x 24in |
30 watts | less than 1p | 21p |
Root!t Heat Mat 16in x 47in |
60 watts | 2p | 42p |
Standard Vitopod No Lights |
50 watts | 1p | 35p |
Large Vitopod No Lights | 100 watts | 3p | 70p |
EarlyGrow Heated No Lights | 30 watts | less than 1p | 21p |
EarlyGrow Heated With Lights |
70 watts | 2p | 49p |
Varitemp Heated | 70 watt | 2p | 49p |
Hydropod 40 Cuttings Heated No Lights |
100 watts | 3p | 70p |
Hydropod 80 Cuttings Heated No Lights | 100 watts | 3p | 70p |
Mist Propagation Unit 3ft 4in |
100 watts | 3p | 70p |
Mist Propagation Unit 6ft 8in |
320 watts | 9p | £2.23 |
Mist Propagation Unit 10ft | 420 watts | 12p | £2.92 |
Dewpoint Cabinet | 280 watt | 8p | £1.95 |
Just remember, the costs above are the maximum if your propagator was on continuously for 24 hours. In reality, if your propagator incorporates a thermostat, then it will automatically turn off and on to maintain a set temperature, so should not be constantly running unless you are trying to maintain a high temperature or the ambient temperature is much colder.
You also need to take into account if you use grow lights with your heated propagator as these would have a running cost too. Although we have assumed in the table above that the lights would be on constantly, we would never recommend leaving lights on for 24 hours a day. When propagating grow lights should be switched on for a maximum of up to 18 hours a day (most plants require periods of darkness for healthy growth). After the first 3-4 weeks of growth, the lights should be reduced to only being on for 12 hours a day at the most.
Remember When Using An Electric Propagator
Any electric heated propagator will only give a lift of approximately 11 to 14 degrees Celsius above the ambient or room temperature.
For example, if it is 4 degrees Celsius in the area you have your electric propagator (the ambient temperature) then the maximum temperature in the propagator will be approximately 18 degrees Celsius.
This could mean that in the colder months of the year your electric propagator would need to be in an area with a minimum ambient temperature of 7 degrees Celsius to achieve the 19 degrees Celsius that many seeds need to germinate.
What Types Of Electric Propagators Are Available?
For propagation you need to basically be able to control:
- Light
- Temperature
- Water
- Humidity.
As a result you will find propagators to help you with some or all of these elements. To provide extra light or to increase the temperature will require some type of power - as we are only aware of propagators powered by electricity, then this will incur a cost as power is used. You may also find that some propagators which involve water reservoirs also include electric pumps - so when these are running these also would incur a running cost.
Below we will take a look at some of the electric propagators available to domestic gardeners and how the different elements they include will add to the expense of running them.
Electric Propagators With Lights But No Heat
You will find some electric propagators on the market that only incorporate grow lights but no heating element.
These have been designed for use in your home, where your ambient / room temperature is likely to be sufficient for the seeds you are growing to germinate, but where you might not have sufficient natural daylight.
An example of this is the Grow Light Garden:
Grow Light Garden Electric Propagator
Available in two compact sizes, both feature a modern, stylish design which makes them perfect for use in your home, in the office or even in a restaurant. They were developed to enable you to grow fresh salads and herbs all year long by incorporating full spectrum grow lights to replicate natural sunlight.
Using high efficiency Sunblaster high output lights which consume 20% less power than a standard domestic light bulb, yet providing up to 10,000 hours of use. One 11 watt light is used in the Micro Grow Light Garden and two 24 watt lights in the Standard Grow Light Garden, making running costs a maximum of 1p an hour, so these propagators are highly cost efficient.
These lights are incorporated into NanoTach Reflectors that reduce heat build up and maximise performance by reflecting 100% of the light towards the plants.
The grow lights are fitted into a height adjustable canopy which can be fixed up to 15 inches / 38 cm from the propagator base. This allows you to lift the lights as your plants grow, enabling you to keep them at the optimal height for plant growth.
To make watering quick and easy, in the base of the propagator is a water reservoir with raised platform and capillary matting. All you need to do is top up the reservoir and your plants will be automatically and correctly watered for up to two weeks.
Coming from the propagator is a mains cable approx. 180cm in length - so you just need to make sure you have an electrical socket within the distance so you can plug it in.
Electric Propagators With Heat
You will find that the majority of electric propagators available feature a heating element of some type to enable you to increase the compost temperature, so it is suitable for seed germination or for cuttings to produce roots.
This heating element will need to be turned off and on to control the compost temperature, so depending on how advanced the propagator you choose will affect whether this will need to be done manually or automatically. To keep running costs as economical as possible you ideally need a propagator where the temperature can be automatically controlled, so the heating element is not drawing power 24/7 and running costs are kept to a minimum. But let's take a look all all the options available to you.
Electric Propagators With No Thermostat
Starting at the most basic types of electric propagators on the market for amateur gardeners are those which have no built in thermostat. With these propagators once it is plugged in and turned on the heating element will remain on constantly, unless you turn the propagator off. A popular propagator of this type is the Fab 4 Electric Propagator.
Fab 4 Electric Propagator
One of our simplest electric propagators, the Fab 4 features a heated electric base. However, it does not have thermostatic control. This means that once plugged in and turned on the heating element stays on constantly.
Having an 8 watt carbon fibre element built in to the watertight plastic base, this provides a gentle, even base heat across the whole area. It is designed to increase the compost temperature by around 8 degrees Centigrade compared to the temperature of the room the propagator is being used in. At the current cost of electricity (March 2024) it would cost approx. 6p to run if it was turned on for 24 hours constant use, less than 1p per hour.
As the heat will remain on constantly, depending on where you have this electric propagator located on a sunny windowsill or in very warm conditions it could become too warm for your seeds or seedlings. So when you use a propagator that has no thermostatic control you will need to keep an eye on it - removing the seed tray lids or turning off the propagator if it starts to get too hot.
Electric Propagators With A Fixed Thermostat
If you don't have the time to be checking the temperature your propagator is reaching so you can take action when temperatures get too high, then the next step up from a heated electric propagator with no thermostat control, is to use a model with a fixed thermostat.
Electric Propagators With A Variable Temperature Thermostat
When you want to be able to set the temperature yourself - useful if you are growing a wider range of plants or ones with more demanding germination conditions or unusual germination temperatures - then you need to look at electric propagators that feature a variable temperature thermostat.
These types of propagator are available in a side range of models with varying price ranges, with the more expensive types usually having a more accurate thermostat or being on a larger scale. If very much depends on your needs and what you are going to grow from seed, as to which model to select. Here are just a few examples available.