Five million households – about 18 per cent of homes – will use an air fryer to cook part of their Christmas dinner this year to cut their energy bill[1], according to new research from Uswitch.com.
The popularity of the energy-efficient appliance has boomed this year, with the numbers of homes planning to use one this Christmas Day almost double what they were last year.
People are turning away from traditional cooking methods as they try to save energy, with the proportion of households using the oven this year falling four per cent and those using the hob and microwave down six per cent.
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Slow cookers, which use less energy than an oven by heating food at lower temperatures for longer, have seen their popularity rise by 41 per cent.
Half of households are cutting back on the cost of Christmas food this year due to the cost-of-living crisis, with a quarter of people factoring energy costs into their budget for Christmas dinner.
Meanwhile, more than two fifths of people (42 per cent) will be turning to more energy-efficient appliances to save money on bills, with a third of households (36 per cent) will prepare less food.
People estimate that cooking Christmas dinner this year will add almost £15 to their energy bill. Realistically, an average household of four people should spend about £3.60 on energy, with the costs of cooking a five kilogram turkey at 160 degrees in a fan oven for three and a half hours being around £2.38.
The full table comparing the different methods of cooking - microwave, air fryer, hob and oven - for all the different products in a Christmas dinner is seen below.
Swapping the oven and hob for alternatives like a slow cooker, air fryer or microwave offer a small saving – cutting the energy cost of the meal to £3.53.
Air fryers usually offer large energy savings compared to a traditional oven when cooking simple meals.
With so many ingredients in a Christmas dinner, it’s the one time the whole oven is being used, making it more energy-efficient.
Some households even said they would be using less conventional ways of cooking the Christmas meal, with just over two per cent of people using a barbecue, and nearly two per cent relying on the student favourite, the toastie maker.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “We’ve all spent the year monitoring our energy use at home, and Christmas dinner is no different, with half of households planning to change cooking methods to reduce their bills.
“Air fryers were a relatively new phenomenon this time last year, but almost a fifth of households plan to use them to reduce their energy consumption on Christmas Day.
“Appliances like air fryers, slow cookers and microwaves can be the most energy-efficient kitchen devices to cook with, especially if you’re not making enough food to fill the whole of the oven.
“Christmas is one of the few times of year when households use the whole oven, meaning you don’t need to worry too much about energy efficiency on the big day.
“Households looking for an easy way to see how much energy they are using during and after the festive period can download Utrack, a free mobile app that lets consumers connect to their smart meter and track their energy use.
"The app offers useful insights and helpful tips to help you change habits to save money on energy.”
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