Oven, air fryer and microwave running costs compared…

Oven, air fryer and microwave running costs compared as households could save

Households who primarily cook with an oven could save up to £604 a year by using more energy-efficient cooking method.

Researchers calculated the energy consumption of 83 appliances and compared the running costs with the cheapest alternative. They found that that most energy-intensive cooking appliance is an electric oven, which typically costs 87p per day to run or £316 a year.

However a microwave costs just 8p per day - representing a potential saving of £287 per year. An air fryer would cost just £52 a year, a saving of £264. The research by energy supplier Utilita also looked at how cooking methods can slash power consumption by up to 90% and save an additional £317 a year.

Batch cooking can bank £158 a year, using the correct sized pan with a lid saves £72, simmering rather than boiling £68 and not overfilling the kettle £19. Utilita has teamed up with supermarket chain Iceland to rollout the ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’ campaign in-stores and online in September to help identify the most economical ways of cooking.

The collaboration presents the cost to cook for each of the main types of cooking appliance, based on the average amount of time they are used for each day.

As part of the in-depth report Utilita polled 2,000 households and found they spend approximately 43 minutes cooking each day. Of these, 42% use the oven by default for most of their cooking needs but 52% don’t know which of their cooking appliances cost more to run.

The researchers then looked at typical energy consumption for a range of cooking appliances and calculated how much energy they would consume in a typical day's usage.

They then looked at previous academic studies into the impact of different cooking methods on energy consumption.

For example, a study published in the Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics found that simmering at 90 degrees rather boiling at over 100 can reduce consumption by between 69% and 95%.

Based on typical modern-day usage, this could save households £68 a year. In total, the research studied 83 appliances and 24 sources including academic research, legislation, and data collected from popular shopping websites.