How much does it cost to run an air fryer? Do they save money?

If you've been wondering whether to invest in an air fryer, now might be the perfect time to make the addition to your kitchen. The best air fryers will cook up some tasty meals for you and the family, and will save you money compared to using a traditional gas or electric oven.

You may have heard that air fryers are more energy efficient than ovens, so we've calculated exactly how much electricity an air fryer uses and what this will cost after the new energy price cap comes into effect on 1st January.

Cooking our food isn't exactly something we can cut down on, so if we can find a way to do it more efficiently, we say bring it on. Keep reading to find out exactly how much electricity an air fryer uses, what this will cost you, and whether or not it can save you money when looking to save energy at home.

How much electricity does an air fryer use?

'The amount of electricity an air fryer uses depends on the type, size, 
temperature, and amount of time the air fryer is being used', explains Jennifer Warren, energy expert at Energy Guide.

The two main types are basket air fryers and air fryer ovens.

• Basket air fryers tend to be smaller, and are usually used for cooking one item at once e.g. a portion of fries
• Air fryer ovens are larger, and can be used to cook multiple things at once. They can also cook a wider variety of foods e.g. pizza

An air fryer works by heating the air inside it to a hot enough temperature to be able to cook food. This means that the larger the air fryer, the longer it will take to heat up, and the more electricity it will use. Generally speaking, air fryer ovens use more electricity than basket air fryers.

There is a simple equation you can do to calculate how much electricity your air fryer is using. Simply multiply the device's wattage by the number of hours you use it per day, and divide this number by 1000 to get the daily kilowatt-hour.

For example, if you use a 1500W air fryer for an average of one hour per day, it will use roughly 1.5 kilowatts of electricity when you use it. Most air fryers use between 1.4 and 1.7kWh (kilowatts of energy per hour).

How much does it cost to run an air fryer?

To work out how much it costs to run an air fryer you will need to know what you pay per kWh, which you can find on your energy bill.

Following the new energy price cap in January 2024, the highest price you could pay per pence/kWh is 29p, so with that in mind, we've used 29p to calculate how much some air fryers could cost to run following the price cap increase.

• An example 1500W basket air fryer used on average for 30 minutes a day will cost roughly £1.52 per week, £6.53 per month, and £79.39 per year.
• An example 1700W basket air fryer used on average for 30 minutes a day will cost roughly £1.73 per week, £7.40 per month, and £89.97 per year.
• An example 2400W air fryer oven used on average for 30 minutes a day will cost roughly £2.44 per week, £10.44 per month, and £127.02 per year.

We based our calculations on 30 minutes of usage per day, given that air fryers typically take half as much time as an electric oven to heat up. But if you're using an air fryer for an average of one hour per day, these figures will double.

Once you know how much you pay for electricity per kWh, you can work out the cost of your air fryer by multiplying this number by your air fryer's kWh.

Is it cheaper to use an air fryer than an electric oven?

'Typically, it will be cheaper to run an air fryer vs a traditional electric oven', explains Jennifer from Energy Guide. 'This is mainly due to an air fryer requiring less kilowatts per hour to reach its maximum temperature and the fact that they cook things much more quickly due to the amount of surface area they use.'

Electric ovens are larger than air fryers and take longer to heat up, meaning they'll be switched on for longer and therefore will use more electricity. Air fryers can typically save around 30 minutes in cooking time, which makes them a lot cheaper to run. Just make sure you switch your air fryer off as soon as you're done using it.

Will an air fryer save me money?

Yes, an air fryer will save you money. If you switch to cooking from an electric oven to an air fryer, you'll be using less energy and your bills will subsequently go down. 

'Air fryers are a cheaper and easy alternative to oven cooking, using less energy than other cooking methods', explains Caitlin Wood, Assistant Marketing Manager at Russell Hobbs. 

Make sure you purchase an air fryer that is practical for you though. If you have many mouths to feed, a small basket air fryer might not be up to the task of cooking the evening meal, and it won't save you money if you're using it alongside your regular oven as normal. Air fryer ovens can have as large as a 24L capacity, and buying a large one can still be cheaper than running an electric oven.

Plus there are a whole wealth of healthy air fryer ideas to explore, so it's a win win.