Many households across Ireland are struggling with a major cost of living crisis, with energy bills in particular a cause for concern.
People are trying to cut costs where possible, and one way to do so is by being energy efficient with cooking food.
A lot of households have no idea how much they are forking out by using appliances like air fryers, ovens and microwaves.
READ MORE: Mum in shock after being charged €55 for two bags of pick and mix at Christmas market
With this in mind, new research by Energia has revealed the appliances which are costing the most on electricity bills in Ireland.
Its team of experts calculated exactly how much appliances use electricity-wise, and subsequently what that would look like cost-wise per hour of usage.
Oven
The average energy usage (wattage) for an oven is 1575, meaning it costs €0.58 to run per hour.
Air Fryer
The average energy usage (wattage) for an airfryer is 1500, meaning it costs €0.56 to run per hour. Therefore, using an air fryer for 30 minutes would cost €0.28.
Microwave
The average energy usage (wattage) for an airfryer is 1750, meaning it costs €0.65 to run per hour. Therefore, using a microwave for five minutes would cost €0.05.
Verdict
In order to save money on electricity bills this winter, Energia’s experts recommend households make use of microwaves and air fryers.
The explained: “Using a microwave uses a lot less energy than a conventional oven. Microwaves only heat the food, not the air around it. What might take 20 minutes to reheat in the oven for 0.21c could take you 10 minutes in the microwave at a cost of 0.10c with your microwave.
“Meanwhile, using an airfryer for an hour costs 55c whereas using an oven for an hour is 57c. However, using an air fryer for 15 minutes uses over 40% less energy than 1 hour of oven use. This is because air fryers' smaller size tend to maximise airflow and heat your food even quicker than an oven.”
Another money saving tip they shared is keeping the over door shut.
They said: “When you open your oven door, around 20% of heat is lost which results in your oven having to work to reheat it, which is why experts advise looking through the glass door to check on food as opposed to continually opening the oven door.
“Using your oven for two hours can cost you €0.99, meaning if you avoid pre-heating the oven unless necessary you can actually save money in the long run. If you put your food in the oven before you turn the oven on, you can help reduce your energy usage.
“Another helpful tip is to consider using a slow cooker or batch cooking. A slow cooker in use for six hours can cost you just 55c. Whereas an oven could cost €3.02 meaning a saving of 84%.”
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