Oven, microwave or air fryer: which is cheaper?
Oven 109 kWh/yr and microwave 29 kWh (ADEME); air fryers often use a third of the oven energy for the same dish (Which?). Running-cost calculator.
- Cost of this cook
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Same dish (Which? lab or estimate)
- Oven
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- Air fryer
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- Microwave
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Annual defaults: ADEME Panel Elecdom medians (July 2023 – July 2024) — electric oven 109 kWh (68 units), microwave 29 kWh (85). Air fryers were not metered in that panel: enter your own estimate (label or plug meter). Dish figures: laboratory energy measured by Which? (1 October 2026 article; their cost used 26.11p/kWh — we reprice at your tariff). Custom mode estimates kWh = watts × minutes / 60 / 1000 (nameplate power, so an upper bound). Results are indicative estimates based on the values you enter. Always check your appliance labels, your tariff and the manufacturer’s data.
- In ADEME’s metered homes, an electric oven used a median 109 kWh a year (68 units) and a microwave 29 kWh (85 units).
- At the UK price cap (26.32p/kWh): about £29 a year for the oven and £8 for the microwave.
- For the same dish, Which? often measured two to three times less electricity with an air fryer than with a built-in oven (chicken, chips, jacket potato, cake).
- Air fryers win for small portions; a full oven is usually better value when you batch-cook for several people.
Pick an appliance for the annual cost (ADEME medians for oven and microwave), then a dish to compare laboratory energy measured by Which? — or enter your own watts and minutes.
What ovens and microwaves use in real homes
ADEME’s Panel Elecdom meters appliances in 100 representative French homes every 10 minutes for a full year (here July 2023 to July 2024). For ovens and microwaves:
| Appliance | Units metered | Median | Middle half | Mean | UK cost (26.32p) | US cost (18.31¢) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric oven | 68 | 109 kWh/yr | 47–170 kWh | 125 kWh | ≈ £29 | ≈ $20 |
| Microwave | 85 | 29 kWh/yr | 17–44 kWh | 33 kWh | ≈ £8 | ≈ $5 |
| Mini / countertop oven | 10 | 72 kWh/yr | 32–156 kWh | 90 kWh | ≈ £19 | ≈ $13 |
Air fryers do not appear in that panel: too few units were metered for a published median. For an annual figure, log a plug-in energy monitor for a few weeks, or estimate from rated watts and hours of use.
Same dish: oven vs air fryer (Which? lab)
Which? cooked the same recipes in a built-in electric oven and an air fryer, measuring real energy use including preheating. From their 1 October 2026 test:
| Dish | Oven | Air fryer | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roast chicken (~1.3 kg) | 1.157 kWh | 0.54 kWh | −53% |
| Chips (~320 g) | 0.863 kWh | 0.287 kWh | −67% |
| Jacket potato | 1.084 kWh | 0.392 kWh | −64% |
| Cake | 0.71 kWh | 0.223 kWh | −69% |
At the UK cap, the chicken falls from about 30p in the oven to 14p in the air fryer. Which? also notes the basket size limit: if you must cook in batches, the saving shrinks. The Energy Saving Trust reaches the same qualitative split: air fryer for one or two people, oven for batch cooking, microwave for reheating.
Microwave: cheapest for reheating
A microwave heats the water in food directly instead of warming a large cavity. That is why its annual median is so low (29 kWh) and why it is usually the cheapest way to reheat leftovers or a ready meal. It will not replace a crisp roast chicken, but it beats both oven and air fryer for quick reheats.
Five ways to cook for less
- Keep the oven for large batches or dishes that truly need a big cavity.
- Use the air fryer for 1–2 portions when the result suits (chips, vegetables, small roasts).
- Reheat in the microwave instead of firing up the oven.
- Boil water in the kettle before it goes into a pan on an electric hob — see what it costs to boil a kettle.
- Check your hob: induction vs ceramic running costs.
For any other device, the appliance running cost calculator turns watts and hours into money.
Sources
- ADEME – Panel Elecdom, annual electricity use of household appliances (open data, 2023–2024, in French)
- Which? – Air fryer vs oven: energy usage, costs and cooking results compared (1 October 2026)
- Energy Saving Trust – Air fryer vs oven: which cooking appliance is cheaper to run? (6 October 2026)
- Ofgem – Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (1 October to 31 December 2026)