Calories burned
repairing appliances
221 kcal / hour Repairing appliances burns approximately 221 calories per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, and 110 calories in 30 minutes. Across the normal adult weight range the hourly figure runs from about 158 to 378 kcal.
It carries a MET value of 3 in the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.
Calories burned repairing appliances by body weight
Energy cost scales with the mass you move, so body weight changes the answer more than anything else.
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 39 | 79 | 118 | 158 | 236 |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 47 | 95 | 142 | 189 | 284 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 55 | 110 | 165 | 221 | 331 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 63 | 126 | 189 | 252 | 378 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 71 | 142 | 213 | 284 | 425 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 79 | 158 | 236 | 315 | 473 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 87 | 173 | 260 | 347 | 520 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 95 | 189 | 284 | 378 | 567 |
Figures in kilocalories (the "calories" on food labels). The highlighted row is the 70 kg reference adult used in the headline figure; the highlighted column is one hour.
What 221 calories an hour actually means
At MET 3, repairing appliances counts as moderate activity — it uses about 3 times the energy your body burns sitting still. For a 70 kg adult that works out to roughly 4 kcal per minute, or 221 kcal across a full hour.
Within inactivity, that ranks 12th of 27 activities by energy cost, a little below wiring (MET 3.3) and above sharpening tools (MET 2).
Put differently: one hour of repairing appliances costs about the same energy as 45 minutes of ordinary walking.
On the food side, a medium banana (about 105 kcal) takes roughly 29 minutes of repairing appliances to offset at that body weight. That framing is useful for scale, but it is worth saying plainly: exercise and diet are not a ledger that cancels neatly, and appetite tends to rise with activity.
Questions
How many calories does repairing appliances burn per hour?
About 221 kcal per hour for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult, using the Compendium MET value of 3. A 90 kg adult burns closer to 284 kcal in the same hour, because energy cost scales almost directly with body mass.
How many calories does 30 minutes of repairing appliances burn?
Roughly 110 kcal at 70 kg, 95 kcal at 60 kg and 158 kcal at 100 kg. Halving the time halves the calories — the relationship is linear.
What is the MET value of repairing appliances?
3. One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly, so MET 3 means 3 times that rate.
Is this an exact number of calories?
No, and no calculator can give you one. MET values are population averages measured in laboratory conditions; your own figure varies with fitness, technique, terrain, temperature and body composition. Treat these numbers as a solid estimate for planning, not a precise measurement — and treat any device or site claiming three-digit precision with suspicion.
Related activities
Three more from inactivity, and three with a similar energy cost from elsewhere in the Compendium.
MET value from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (activity code 07011). Calories computed as MET × 3.5 × weight kg ÷ 200 per minute. General information only — not medical, fitness or nutrition advice. Calorie figures are population estimates and vary between individuals.