Air Fryer Electricity Cost Calculator
Estimate electricity use per meal, including preheating and repeat batches, using your appliance wattage and electricity tariff.
Enable JavaScript for the interactive calculator. You can also calculate manually using the formula and worked example below.
Calculate the whole meal
A small basket may need two or three batches to cook the same meal that fits in one oven load. Include every batch and the initial preheat before comparing appliances. The example below uses a 1,500 W appliance, a five-minute preheat and two 20-minute batches. That is 45 minutes of operation: 1.125 kWh at continuous rated power, costing 0.3375 at a tariff of 0.30 per kWh.
What the result means
Energy in kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × total minutes ÷ 60. Cost = energy × your price per kWh. The calculator assumes the appliance draws its stated wattage for the entire session. Heating elements cycle, so this is a rated-power estimate, not a measured bill or an efficiency rating.
Use the wattage on your appliance label and the usage rate on your electricity bill. Enter 0.30 for 30 cents per kWh, not 30. The currency is whichever currency your tariff uses; this tool does not convert currencies. Fixed daily supply charges are excluded because they are not caused by cooking one meal.
Compare fairly with your oven
Run the calculation again with the oven's own wattage, preheat time and cooking duration. Keep the amount of food the same. A lower-wattage appliance can use more energy if it runs longer or needs more batches. Do not treat the difference between two rated-power estimates as proven savings: the appliances may cycle their heaters differently.
For a closer comparison, measure a complete cooking session with an electricity monitor suitable for the appliance's electrical load, following the monitor and appliance instructions. Record the food quantity, preheat, temperature and number of batches alongside the measured kWh. Multiply that measured kWh by your tariff.
Assumptions you can change
- Preheat is counted once per meal. Include additional reheating between batches in the cooking minutes if needed.
- Each batch uses the same cooking duration. For unequal batches, use their average duration or calculate each separately.
- Monthly cost uses your chosen number of meals, not an assumption that you cook every day.
- Standby use, purchase price and other appliances used for the meal are outside this estimate.