🔥 Why Your Oven is a "Money Pit"
It comes down to simple physics: Heating air is inefficient.
A standard electric oven is a 3,000-watt metal box. When you turn it on you aren't just cooking your chicken — you are paying to heat:
- 30+ pounds of metal racks and walls
- 4+ cubic feet of empty air
- Your entire kitchen (forcing your AC to work harder in summer)
Small appliances win because they focus energy directly on the food. An Air Fryer heats instantly. A Pressure Cooker traps steam to force heat transfer. You pay for cooking, not heating the house.
Air fryers are one of the biggest energy savers — but materials matter at high heat. See our research on non-toxic ceramic air fryers and electricity usage .
What This Calculator Compares
This tool calculates the electricity cost per meal based on wattage and time. It uses the 2026 US average electricity rate ($0.17 / kWh) by default, but you can adjust it if you live in a high-cost area like California or Hawaii.
Note: We assume appliances run at their rated wattage. In reality ovens cycle on and off, so actual usage may be slightly lower — but the efficiency gap remains massive.
When to Use This Tool
The savings are most dramatic for:
- Frequent Small Meals: Cooking for 1–4 people. Heating a huge oven for two chicken breasts is wasteful.
- Long Cook Times: Roasts, stews, or baked potatoes. An Instant Pot can cut a 3-hour roast down to 45 minutes.
- Summer Cooking: When using the oven fights against your air conditioning, effectively doubling your cost.
The Microwave Secret: Speed Equals Savings
For single portions and simple foods like baked potatoes, rice, or steamed vegetables the microwave is unbeatable. It cooks a potato in 8 minutes for about $0.02, while an oven takes 60 minutes and costs $0.51.
Want to see the exact numbers? We ran a real-world test comparing a single baked potato in the microwave versus a full-size oven: Microwave vs Oven Energy Cost Breakdown
Pro tip: Use the microwave for heating and simple cooking, then finish with a quick broil or air fryer crisp if you need texture.
Gas Stoves: The Electricity Confusion
If you selected "Gas Stove" in the calculator you may be wondering why the electricity cost is so low. That's because gas stoves primarily use natural gas for heat — electricity is only needed for the ignition spark and (in newer models) the safety controls.
⚠️ Power Outage Safety: During a blackout you can manually light gas burners with a match, but the oven won't work without electricity. Never leave a gas flame unattended, and ensure proper ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide buildup.
Learn more: Emergency Cooking During Power Outages
What If the Oven Still Wins?
Sometimes, the oven is the right tool. If you are baking 4 trays of cookies or a 20 lb turkey, you would need to run an Air Fryer in 6 batches.
The Verdict: Use small appliances for daily meals. Save the big oven for Thanksgiving and batch baking.
💰 2026 Energy-Efficient Home Improvement Credits
You might qualify for up to $2,000 in tax credits when upgrading to an induction cooktop or ENERGY STAR certified appliances. The IRS extended these credits through 2032 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Eligible upgrades include induction stoves, heat pump water heaters, and whole-home energy audits. Combined with your electricity savings, these credits can pay back your investment in just 2–3 years.
Learn How to Claim Your Credits →Cooking Energy & Appliance FAQs
Is an air fryer cheaper to run than an oven? ▼
Yes. Air fryers use about half the wattage (1,500 W vs 3,000 W) and cook 20–30 % faster thanks to their compact size and convection fan. For most meals an air fryer costs 50–70 % less to run than a full-size oven.
How much electricity does an oven use per hour? ▼
A standard electric oven draws 2,000–5,000 watts. At the 2026 US average of $0.17 / kWh that translates to $0.34 to $0.85 per hour. A typical 3,000 W oven at 350 °F costs about $0.51 per hour.
What is the cheapest way to cook a baked potato? ▼
The microwave — about 8 minutes and $0.02. An oven takes 60 minutes and costs $0.51, more than 25× the microwave cost for the exact same result. Hit the Baked Potato preset above to see the full breakdown.
Does an Instant Pot save money on electricity? ▼
Absolutely. Pressure cookers use around 1,000 W and cook 50–70 % faster by trapping steam and raising the internal boiling point. A pot roast that takes 3 hours in the oven finishes in about 60 minutes — saving over $1.00 per cook.
Does a slow cooker use a lot of electricity? ▼
No — slow cookers draw only 150–300 W, less than most light bulbs. Even running for 8 hours the total cost is about $0.14–$0.20, making them one of the cheapest appliances to operate.
Does a gas stove work without electricity? ▼
The burners can be manually lit with a match during a power outage, but the oven requires electricity for ignition and safety controls. Never leave a gas flame unattended, and ensure proper ventilation.
How much does it cost to run an air fryer per hour? ▼
A typical 1,500 W air fryer costs about $0.26 per hour at $0.17 / kWh. Most air fryer recipes finish in 15–25 minutes, so the real per-meal cost is usually $0.04–$0.11.
Is it cheaper to use an oven or a stovetop? ▼
Per hour, the stovetop is cheaper (1,500 W vs 3,000 W). But for long simmers — soups, stews, beans — a slow cooker at 200 W beats both by a wide margin.
Does pre-heating an oven waste electricity? ▼
Yes — pre-heating a 3,000 W oven for 15–20 minutes uses about $0.13–$0.17 before a single piece of food goes in. Air fryers and microwaves need no pre-heating, which is another reason they're cheaper for quick meals.
What appliance should I buy to save the most on energy? ▼
For the biggest single upgrade: an air fryer. It replaces roughly 80 % of oven use at a fraction of the cost. For batch cooking: an Instant Pot cuts roast times by 60–70 %. Both together cover nearly every recipe and can save $100–$200 / year.