Does Air Fryer Use a Lot of Electricity?

I bought my air fryer on an impulse, looking at the wonderful outcomes in a friend’s kitchen.

Over time, I got worried thinking the cost of cooking in an air fryer may jack up my electricity bills.

I was happy with the low price of purchase and didn’t pay attention to consumption cost in the long run.

The high wattage rating was making me nervous.

So started searching for how much electricity an air fryer uses and how it compares with appliances such as ovens or microwaves.

Here is what I found!

Table of Contents

Does the Airfryer Use a Lot of Electricity?

No, an air fryer does not use a lot of electricity.

Do not get frightened due to the high wattage reading.

Although they take in high current, it is only for a small duration. The electric cost of an air fryer is quite less compared to other electrical appliances.

Air Fryers cook food quicker than an oven or stovetop.

One of the primary reasons is a small chamber with a high rotating fan, spreading the heat generated by the heating element all around the food.

How Much Electricity Does an Air Fryer Need?

Well, that depends on the duration of time and your particular model.

For example, if we talk about per hour, a standard air fryer uses 1.5 Kilowatt hours per hour of operation.

Depending on your manufactured model, the electric consumption range could be anywhere from 1-2 kilowatt-hours per hour of operations.

The formula to find out is like this: Divide your air fryer rating by 1000 and multiply by the number of hours.

Also read: Why Does My Air fryer Keep Shutting Off?

What Is the Power Requirement of an Air Fryer?

An average air fryer uses anywhere from 800-2000 watts of power to run. It depends on the size and model.

At times, the same capacity and size air fryers have different power requirements.

For example, the Kitcook and Ultrean air fryers have the same capacity, but the former needs 1300 watts of power while the latter needs 1500 watts.

Other times, air fryers will have the same power requirements, but not have the same capacity as they are made by different manufacturers.

For example, Instant Vortex pro and Ultrean air fryer need the same power wattage of 1500 although the capacity of each is different (Instant pro is 10 quart while Ultrean is 4.2 quart).

Summing up, the power required depends on your particular manufactured model. Read your instructions booklet to find out your particular power requirement.

What Is the Average Cost of Using an Air Fryer on a Day to Day Basis?

The formula to find out the cost is this :

Divide your power rating by 1000 and multiply with the hours and average electric rate per kWh.

For example, if the power rating of your air fryer is 1500 and the electricity rate is, say, 14 cents per kWh,

(1500 watts/1000) * 1 hour* 14 cents/kWh = 21 cents per hour of operation.

Now, if we want to find out the cost per month (if we use the air fryer for an hour every day), multiply it by 30. It would be 0.21 cents* 30 = USD 6.1 per month.

Different cities across the United States have different electricity rates. Find out your rate and divide it by 30 (when using for one hour every day in a month).

Simply put, the cost depends on the wattage requirement of your particular model, your usage duration, and the electricity rate in your city.

Now that we know that air fryers do not use a lot of electricity, let us find out how energy efficient they are.

How Energy Efficient Are Air Fryers?

Air fryers are quick in generating heat from electricity.

The heat generated gets circulated fast and efficiently with the help of an embedded fan inside it. Food is cooked within minutes without wasting energy.

Air Fryers are excellent energy-efficient appliances due to the following reasons :

Air fryers have a compact shape that helps to keep the heat confined
They have a compact design that helps to conserve electricity. Less energy is needed to heat the well-thought design. The holes beneath the basket ensure even cooking all across the food.
An embedded high-speed fan helps to quickly distribute heat for speedier cooking.
Compared to ovens, preheating time is just three to five minutes

Air fryers are indeed energy-saving devices due to the reasons mentioned above. They are more energy-efficient than an oven.

However, when it comes to bulk cooking, an oven can cook multiple food stocks in one go.

But an air fryer would need to be used repeatedly owing to its small dimensions.

Cooking repeatedly will make it consume more electricity than an oven.

This is because an oven will get the job done in one go whereas the lack of space in an air fryer will make it use more electricity due to repeated usage.

A solution for this would be to purchase large and spacious air fryers for bulk cooking.

Also read: 8 Benefits of Using an Air Fryer (Why Use an Air Fryer)?

Air Fryer vs Oven vs Microwave – Electricity Usage

If you compare an oven and an air fryer, an air fryer will cost less electricity. This is because food gets cooked faster in an air fryer.

But if you’re cooking a large batch of food, an oven might be more convenient as well as economical.

If you compare an air fryer with a microwave, both use approximately the same amount of electricity. However, a microwave can cook certain foods faster than an air fryer.

A deep fryer will cook food faster than an air fryer. However, it has high wattage requirements, and you need to also get the oil (so extra cost)

In the long run, both have the same effect on your electricity bill (as we do not use a deep fryer for cooking all our food).

Also read: Where to Put Air Fryer in Kitchen?

Tips to Make Sure Your Electricity Bill Stays Low

Here I am sharing with you a few tips that can help you cut down on electricity while using the air fryer in the right way :

Understand your size requirements and purchase accordingly. The standard size is good for two people. If you have a family of more, purchase a large-size air fryer. Cooking in batches with a standard air fryer will increase your bill
If you do bulk cooking only occasionally, consider an air fryer with dual container options. An example is Instant vortex Plus.
Switch off your air fryer when not in use. Keeping it on standby for a long duration will affect your bill
Eat food as soon as you have cooked it. Using the keep warm function will cost electricity.
Try investing in air fryers with adjustable wattage that is available in the market. This way you can adjust the wattage suiting your food requirements.
Remove the buildups and keep the holes clean so the appliance does not have to work harder and spend more energy cooking your food.

Conclusion

Air fryers are great energy savers and do not increase your electricity bills.

This is because, despite the high wattage requirement, they are used for a short duration of time. You can figure out the electricity consumption and cost based on the formulas mentioned above.

The trick is to select the right air fryer depending on your need and use it in the right way for no change in your electricity bills!

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