Comparing Running Costs of Air Fryers vs Ovens

Looking to compare the running costs of air fryers vs ovens?

You’re in the right place – as an avid air fryer user I’ve always wondered about the running costs. So I’ve done the work to find out!

Based on energy consumption alone, air fryers use less power than a typical electric oven. The common t wattage for air fryers ranges between 1000 and 1700 watts — and some up to 2000 watts! —  while an electric oven is between 2000 and 5000 watts. And because they’re smaller, air fryers heat and cook quicker.

But there’s more to it than that. Let’s discuss all the factors.

How to Compare Energy Costs 

While there is much more involved than simply calculating the difference between energy consumed, that’s where you need to start. Once you have the specifications of your air fryer and oven — the wattage of each — use the following steps to compare.

One thing to keep in mind when looking at the wattage consumption rating. If, for example, your air fryer states 1690 watts, this would be the watts that it uses at its highest temperature. So if you tend to use yours at lower temperatures, you’re also using fewer watts. 

To calculate and compare operating costs, do the following for your oven and your air fryer.

• Multiply your appliance’s wattage by the number of hours per day you use it
• Divide that number by 1000
• Multiply this result by your kWh rate

So, for example, if you have a large, powerful air fryer that runs on high at 1690 watts, and you use it for 1 hour every day, and you have an electricity rate of $0.15 per kWh, your equation would look like the following.

Note that it’s unlikely most people will regularly run their air fryer for an hour at a time but we’ll use that for simplicity’s sake.

1690 x 1 ÷ 1000 x $0.15 = $0.25

And if you run your oven for the same amount of time at 400°F (200°C), your equation would be as follows, assuming 400°F is using about 2400 watts. 

2400 x 1 ÷ 1000 x $0.15 = $0.36

In this scenario, it would mean using the air fryer is about two thirds of the cost of using conventional electric oven.

Here’s a list of popular air fryers and their wattage.

But there’s more to consider since how much you pay at the end of the day is also impacted by the energy efficiency of either your air fryer or oven.

The Impact of Energy Efficiency 

First of all, if you’re cost conscious, it’s always better to buy appliances that are energy efficient. Because this plays a significant role in determining how much it costs to run an appliance over time.

While no air fryers at this point – at least none that I could find – have an Energy Star rating, you can still classify them as energy efficient. In fact, they’re much more efficient than a full-size electric oven. 

Since we’re talking about energy efficiency, it’s important to understand what it really means. According to Energy Star, experts say that “energy efficiency means using less energy to get the same job done.” 

Is that true when comparing traditional ovens and air fryers?

Imagine cooking four chicken breasts in your traditional electric oven that uses 3000 watts. Assuming they are large, boneless and skinless, it will take somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes to cook at 375°F. If they have bone-in and skin-on, the same size breasts will take 35 to 40 minutes to cook.

And remember, you need to add however long it takes for your oven to preheat, which could be about 10 minutes depending on the oven.

Now let’s say you have an air fryer big enough to cook four large chicken breasts, and that air fryer uses 1500 watts. And if your air fryer recommends or has a feature to preheat, it often takes only two or three minutes to do so, due to the smaller sized cooking compartment.

Cycling back to what energy efficiency means — “energy efficiency means using less energy to get the same job done” — it’s clear that in this case, your air fryer is much more energy efficient since it will cost you more than half as much to do the same job in the oven.

Faster Cooking Times

Finally, there’s one more thing to consider. Another thing that will reduce expenses and increase energy efficiency.

Air fryers use convection heat, and while there are traditional oven models that offer the same feature, many don’t. So for the sake of this comparison, let’s assume you have an air fryer and a non-convection oven.

Not only does your air fryer use convection heat, but the cooking compartment is significantly smaller than that of a traditional oven. Those two factors — the size and convection heat — mean that your food cooks much quicker.

There’s a general rule of thumb that suggests you should reduce cooking temperatures by 25°F (4°C) and cooking time by 20% when using an air fryer instead of an oven. Of course, every air fryer is different, so you’ll need to experiment a bit to determine what works best in your situation.

Can an Air Fryer Replace an Oven? 

Maybe. Maybe not.

For some people, a microwave and an air fryer may be sufficient for their cooking needs. But if you’re in the habit of cooking larger items like roasts, turkeys, lasagna in a 9 x 13 baking dish, trays of cookies, and so on, clearly an air fryer won’t fulfill all your needs. 

Conclusion

Since traditional ovens use significantly more electricity than most air fryers, they’re cheaper to run.

However, if you’d like to do a comparison and calculate how much you’re saving, you can use the following.

• Multiply your appliance’s wattage times the number of hours per day you use it
• Divide that number by 1000
• Multiply this result by your kWh rate

You should do this for both your air fryer and your oven and then compare the results.

Other than the above comparison, there are some of the things to keep in mind. Because of its smaller size and convection heating, air fryers will cook the same food faster than your oven will. 

And since air fryers typically don’t require much in the way of preheating, that’s also an energy savings.

Hopefully, this has answered your questions about air fryers vs. ovens and their running costs. 

While you’re here, why not check out our related posts below? Perhaps we can help you with something else.