Most air fryers use about 1.0–1.7 kWh of electricity per hour, so a 20-minute air fryer cook usually costs only a few cents or pence.
If you have an air fryer on your counter, you have likely wondered how much electric it uses and whether those crispy chips are pushing up your power bill. The good news is that air fryers usually draw less electric than many ovens, especially for short weekday meals.
How Much Electric Do Air Fryers Use? Realistic Numbers
Most countertop air fryers sit somewhere between 1,000 and 1,800 watts, with compact models nearer the lower end and big dual drawer or oven style units at the top of that band. That wattage rating tells you the maximum power draw when the heating element is running at full output.
| Air Fryer Type | Typical Wattage (W) | Approx. kWh For 20 Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Mini (1–2 litre) | 800–1,000 | 0.27–0.33 |
| Small Basket (2–3 litre) | 1,000–1,200 | 0.33–0.40 |
| Medium Basket (3–4 litre) | 1,200–1,400 | 0.40–0.47 |
| Large Basket (4–5.5 litre) | 1,400–1,700 | 0.47–0.57 |
| XL Family (5.5–7 litre) | 1,700–1,900 | 0.57–0.63 |
| Dual Zone Drawer | 1,600–2,000 | 0.53–0.67 |
| Air Fryer Oven | 1,700–2,000 | 0.57–0.67 |
To turn those wattage figures into kWh, you multiply the power in watts by the hours used, then divide by 1,000. That simple pattern matches the appliance formula shared by the U.S. Department of Energy for household electric use calculations.
Many readers ask one short question: how much electric do air fryers use in real life, not just on paper labels? A typical mid sized model usually lands in the same band as a toaster oven, while still beating many full sized ovens for smaller meals.
As a rough guide, a 1,500 watt air fryer that runs at full power for 20 minutes uses 0.5 kWh. If your tariff is 0.30 in your local currency per kWh, that one cook comes out at about 0.15, which is a small share of a typical daily bill.
How To Work Out Your Own Air Fryer Electricity Cost
Instead of guessing, you can work out your air fryer running cost with a pocket calculator, your wattage label, and your latest bill. Once you have done it once, repeating the steps for other recipes only takes a moment.
Step 1: Find The Wattage Rating
Check the rating plate on the side, base, or plug of your air fryer. You will see a figure in watts, such as 1,400 W or 1.8 kW. If it lists kilowatts, multiply by 1,000 to get watts, since the formula uses watts.
Step 2: Estimate Your Typical Cooking Time
Think about how you use the appliance on an average day. You might run it for 15 minutes for nuggets at lunch and another 20 minutes for chips in the evening, or you might batch cook for a longer stretch once or twice a week.
Step 3: Apply The Simple Energy Formula
The basic formula for electric use is:
kWh used = (wattage × hours run) ÷ 1000
This matches the method set out in the U.S. Department of Energy’s estimating appliance energy use guide, which explains the same wattage times hours approach for many home appliances.
Take a 1,500 W air fryer used for 30 minutes, which is 0.5 hours. Multiply 1,500 by 0.5 to get 750, then divide by 1,000. The result is 0.75 kWh for that cooking session.
Step 4: Multiply By Your Local Tariff
Next, look at the line on your bill that lists the price per kWh. Many households sit somewhere between 0.15 and 0.40 per kWh once taxes and fees are added, though the exact figure depends on your supplier and region.
Now multiply your kWh figure by that price. Using the 0.75 kWh example above with a price of 0.30 per kWh gives 0.225, so about 0.23 in your currency for that half hour of air frying.
Step 5: Scale Up To Weekly And Monthly Use
If you repeat that cook five days a week, weekly use would be 3.75 kWh and the weekly cost would sit close to 1.15. Over a month of similar use, the air fryer would use roughly 15–17 kWh, which keeps its slice of the bill fairly modest.
Once you have done this exercise, the numbers behind how much electric do air fryers use feel far less mysterious. You can repeat the same steps for any recipe or cooking pattern you like and see the cost in clear numbers.
Electric Use Of Air Fryers By Cooking Style
How much electric an air fryer uses also depends on what you cook and how you plan your meals. Short high heat bursts for snacks feel small, while long roasts for a whole chicken push usage higher.
Quick Snacks And Frozen Food
Frozen chips, nuggets, and similar snacks often take 10–20 minutes at high heat. A 1,400 W unit running hard for 15 minutes uses about 0.35 kWh, which is low compared with heating a big conventional oven for the same result.
If you cook these small trays several times a day, the use adds up. Two 15 minute snack runs and one 20 minute tray of wedges in a 1,500 W air fryer would land close to 1.25 kWh for that day of quick bites.
Full Meals And Roasts
Cooking a full tray of chicken thighs or a small roast may take 25–35 minutes. With a 1,700 W air fryer, a 30 minute roast uses about 0.85 kWh. If your price per kWh is on the higher side, this is where you are more likely to notice the appliance on your bill.
Even here, the air fryer usually stays ahead of a large oven for small and medium meals because it wastes less heat in the extra space and often cuts total cooking time.
Batch Cooking Sessions
Many home cooks now load the basket again as soon as one batch finishes. A one hour session in a 1,600 W air fryer uses around 1.6 kWh, but you may be preparing food for several meals at once, which spreads that electric use across more plates.
When you line up trays and refill the basket quickly, the heating element does not have to bring a cold chamber back up to temperature each time, so total use across the evening tends to sit lower.
Preheating And Standby
Most modern models either skip preheating altogether or need only a short warm up, which keeps wasted electric low. Some units also draw a tiny amount of standby power when left plugged in, though this is usually only a few watts.
Air Fryer Electric Use Compared With Ovens
Even when the wattage on the label looks similar, air fryers often win on real electric use against full sized ovens. There are a few reasons for that gap, and they all come back to heat and time.
Smaller Space, Faster Heat
An air fryer has a compact chamber and a fan that pushes hot air directly over the food. That closed space reaches target temperature fast and holds it well, so the heating element cycles on and off during the cook instead of running flat out.
Shorter Cooking Times
The hot air movement means food browns and crisps faster. Many recipes cut 20–30 percent off oven times, which trims both kWh used and total cost for each meal, especially when you cook small portions.
Better Fit For Small Portions
Turning on a large oven for a single portion uses far more electric than needed. An air fryer keeps heat close to the food, so it suits solo meals, snacks, and reheated leftovers with far less waste.
Several national energy advice services, such as Smart Energy GB’s kitchen tips, now point out that air fryers can be cheaper to run than an oven for small meals with short cooking times, especially when you avoid long preheats.
Table Of Sample Weekly Air Fryer Running Costs
The next table gives sample weekly figures so you can compare your own habits with common patterns. You can adjust the prices to suit your latest bill by swapping in your own kWh rate.
| Usage Pattern | Approx. kWh Per Week | Weekly Cost At 0.30/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| Light use: one 15 minute snack, 3 days | 1.2 | 0.36 |
| Daily snack: 15 minutes, 7 days | 2.8 | 0.84 |
| Weeknight dinners: 25 minutes, 5 days | 3.5 | 1.05 |
| Family dinners: 35 minutes, 5 days | 4.9 | 1.47 |
| Batch cook Sunday: 1 hour, once | 1.6 | 0.48 |
| Snack plus dinner daily | 5.5 | 1.65 |
| Heavy use: two 30 minute runs, 7 days | 13.4 | 4.02 |
Simple Ways To Cut Air Fryer Electric Use
You can keep all the crisp texture you enjoy from your air fryer while trimming the electric use even further with a few small habits.
Pick The Right Size For Your Household
A basket that matches your usual serving size heats up quickly and runs efficiently. If you always fill only half of an XL drawer, you may be drawing more watts than you need for each meal.
A basket that is too small for your household pushes you to cook several rounds back to back. That repeated heating can send total kWh higher over a busy week, even though each run feels short.
Avoid Long Empty Preheats
Most recipes do not need more than a short warm up. Load food as soon as the appliance reaches temperature, rather than running it empty for long stretches.
If you like a crisp finish, you can trim a couple of minutes from the cook instead of leaving the air fryer hot with no food inside.
Use The Recommended Temperature
Running at the highest temperature setting through every cook wastes heat. Follow time and temperature guides from your manual or trusted recipe sources so the heating element does not stay at peak power for longer than needed.
A small drop in temperature paired with a slightly longer cook often gives the same golden finish while drawing less power on average.
Cook In Batches Where It Makes Sense
If you already have the appliance hot for dinner, you can roast vegetables or protein for lunch boxes at the same time. You are already paying for that warm chamber, so adding another tray can spread the electric cost.
Think about cooking ahead when prices are lower on time of use tariffs as well. One longer batch at a cheaper hour often costs less than several short runs at a peak rate.
Keep The Basket And Heating Area Clean
Built up grease on the basket, tray, or heating element casing can hold burned crumbs and slow air flow. Regular cleaning keeps hot air moving freely so the appliance reaches and holds temperature more easily.
Unplug If You Will Be Away
Many models draw a tiny standby load for lights or digital clocks. Unplugging between uses removes that background load.
Should You Worry About Air Fryer Electric Use?
For most households, the air fryer is a modest slice of the bill when compared with heating, cooling, washing machines, and dryers. Still, knowing how much electric it uses helps you plan meals and pick cooking methods that match your budget.
If you use the formula in this guide and check your tariff, you will have a clear picture of your own running cost. That makes it easier to decide when to use the air fryer, when to switch to the oven, and how to batch cook to get the most out of each kWh.
With care over wattage, cooking time, and portion size, you can keep enjoying air fried meals while controlling the electric they use.