When it comes to purchasing new electrical equipment, the cost is often at the top of the list of my concerns. And it is no different with your new air fryer!
Designed to save calories but deliver excellent tasting food, an air fryer has quickly become a staple in kitchens across the country. You will be saving money on oil and sometimes cooking time, but can they save you money on your electricity bill?
Air fryers run on electricity, and a question I am often asked is how much money and electricity does it cost to run an air fryer? Well, today, I am going to answer that question for you!
It is worth noting that the numbers will, of course, vary from model to model and will depend on the amount of food and cooking time. However, I shall look into this in further detail later on!
For now, let’s get on with answering: how much (money and electricity) does it cost to run an air fryer?
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How much does it cost?
As I mentioned above, the numbers will vary depending on a few factors. You will need to consider the size of your air fryer, the make and model, and the amount of time it is on for. All of these will impact the amount of electricity your air fryer will use and cost you.
As a general rule, air fryers use between 1,400 to 1,700 watts. You can convert this to 1.4kwh to 1.7kwh per hour of use. This can then be used to work out the precise cost, depending on your electricity provider, for each kWh of energy you use. This information should be present on any electricity bill.
To work out the cost, work out how many kWh it takes to power the wattage of your air fryer. You can then multiply this number by the cooking time you want to use, and you will see how much it will cost. You will also need the size of your air fryer too.
For example, let’s take a 3.2 Quart air fryer running for 15 minutes. With a wattage of 1,400 and using 0.35kWh, it will cost $0.04 to run! There are factors to consider that I shall look at in detail to help you figure out your air fryer’s exact running cost.
What is an air fryer?
For the newbies in the room, let’s have a quick recap. An air fryer is an electrical device that allows you to cook food using far less oil than average. Powered by electricity, your air fryer heats the air in a confined space to cook the food.
This space differs depending on the size of your air fryer, as does the cooking time. They are often popular choices for people looking to reduce their oil consumption and fry food more healthily.
Size and electricity:
Air fryers come in different sizes, and this is where I see the most significant difference in costs.
The larger your air fryer is, the more electricity it is going to require. It will need more power to maintain its heat and cook larger quantities of food.
Settings and electricity:
Newer, modern air fryers now feature a wide range of settings. These are often controlled by digital panels on the front of the fryer. These panels allow making adjustments to your fryer, such as time, capacity, etc., to tailor it to your cooking needs.
In some cases, these settings can increase the amount of electricity needed to run your air fryer. For example, some air fryers feature lights that can be used inside the fryer when in use. A nice feature, but one that will use more electricity, and therefore cost more to run.
Unfortunately, air fryers do not come with a varying indicator of watts depending on the settings used, so I cannot accurately say which features will use more watts and increase your electricity bill.
As a general rule, any eco-features are designed to produce less electricity and would therefore lower your electricity bill, but by how much is difficult to say.
Food and Electricity:
As I mentioned earlier, the food used in your air fryer will impact the amount of electricity used. In particular, two factors will impact this: the amount of food used and how long the food takes to cook.
I can consider these issues together and separately when looking at the impact they have on your electricity consumption.
Let’s take a look at an example. If you were to cook one chicken breast in your air fryer for fifteen minutes, cooking two chicken breasts might take twenty minutes instead. Similarly to when you put a lot of food in your oven, it can take a little longer to cook all the food.
The amount of electricity your air fryer uses will depend on how long it is turned on. The amount of time will depend on the food type and the food amount. For example, cooking a batch of frozen fries could take fifteen minutes, less time than the chicken breast, but you will yield more food!
There is very little that can be done about this, unfortunately, unless you want to be known as the food poisoner, which, of course, I do not recommend. However, a trick I have found successful is to use an air fryer rack or an air fryer basket splitter.
A rack is an excellent option if you are batch cooking or roped into making dinner for the whole family. In comparison, a basket splitter is nifty if you are cooking more than two ingredients. You can purchase either the rack or the splitter online at a reasonable price, too.
These added extras allow you to run the air fryer once instead of twice, providing you with an energy-efficient solution. Remember, it might take a little longer as the air fryer will be full, but it will consume less electricity than running the fryer twice.
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Varied amounts?
Just to add some confusion to the mix, you could take two air fryers that have the same capacity, put them on the same setting, and cook the same amount of food for the same time and use a different amount of electricity.
Why? This is mainly down to the manufacturer and design of the air fryer. The discrepancies between two air fryers may not seem like much at the time, but over a year, it could be costing you as much as two extra meals a week cooked in your air fryer! Quite the difference to my energy bills!
When purchasing an air fryer, it is worth taking the time to look at the wattage and read some customer reviews. See what users have to say about the consumption rates.
Does it take a lot longer to cook more food? Do they find it cheap to run? Looking at reviews with this in mind can help you purchase the most economical air fryer on the market!
Do energy suppliers matter?
When working out how much it will cost to run your air fryer, you will need to consider your energy cost. Different energy suppliers will charge different rates per kWh. As always, it is essential to check that you are not paying too much for your electricity.
Swapping tariffs and using comparison sites to find the best deal for you is always a good idea when your price is up for renewal. Depending on the tariff cost, you could be paying almost 50% more than other air fryer users! On average, it works out at $2.60 a year extra on just one appliance!
Spend some time to research and find the best energy supplier and price for you to save yourself some pennies and bring down your air fryer’s running cost!
How does it compare to an oven?
When it comes to comparing an air fryer and an oven in terms of cost, few comparisons and research have been done.
Generally speaking, ovens are a lot larger than an air fryer. They run on more watts and therefore generate more electricity. The factors I have used to work out the cost of running an air fryer can be used to work out an oven’s running cost.
Factors such as the amount of food, your oven’s capacity, and settings will affect how much electricity is required. While modern ovens feature eco settings these days, they still need thousands of watts to run. They will be more costly than running an air fryer, undoubtedly.
Your oven can cost up to twice as much to run as your air fryer does, making the air fryer a cheaper option. It isn’t always suitable depending on the amount of food you are cooking, but it is sure to use less electricity than a huge oven cooking a tray of fries or some vegetables!
Final word
As you can see, it is difficult to give an exact answer to the question: how much (money and electricity) does it cost to run an air fryer? The cost will depend on how much you currently pay for electricity, your air fryer’s size, and how much you are cooking there.
The cost can vary from $0.04 to as much as $0.22 peruse. To work out your air fryer’s cost, remember you will need the size of your air fryer, the wattage, kWh, and the price of your kWh as charged by your provider.
Air fryers can be reasonably priced to run; just be sure you get the best deal on your energy bill and the most economical air fryer on the market!
Richmond Howard started Meal Prepify in 2019 and has helped over a million people learn how to meal prep, get better at meal planning, and create a kitchen they love to use. He’s an avid home chef and loves to bbq, grill out, and make awesome food for family and friends. He’s been featured on MSN, Renaissance Periodization, and Good Financial Cents.
