Air fryers are known to help you save time on cooking, offer a healthier alternative to oil frying and have already led to plenty of delicious meals. But did you know an air fryer’s power consumption could also save you money compared to using an electric oven?
So, if you’re wondering whether to buy an air fryer (or need another reason to use the one you have), here’s a look at how and when it could help you save on your energy bills.
Is it cheaper to use an air fryer than an oven?
Air fryer power usage is typically between 800 – 2000 watts, while an electric oven typically uses 2000 to 5000 watts for an electric oven, according to research from UK renewable energy website GreenMatch.
RMIT University sustainability expert Alan Pears has also previously explained: “Air fryers use half of the electricity, and you get the same result.”
In an article for Renew Magazine, Alan has explains why the air fryer is king in your kitchen.
“An air fryer heats up in a few minutes, much faster than a conventional oven, while drawing about two-thirds as much instantaneous power,” he says.
“It also uses a combination of radiant heat, instant, and high-speed hot air circulation.
“High airflow over food dramatically increases the heat transfer rate to the food. Think about the ‘chill’ effect of cold, high-speed winter winds in reverse.
“Fan-forced conventional ovens use this feature to some extent, but air fryers take it to another level: The higher the airspeed, the greater the heat flow.”
Does air fryer power consumption mean it’s always cheaper?
Whether or not an air fryer will be cheaper than an oven depends on a few different factors, including how big your air fryer is and how much energy it uses compared to your oven, plus what you’re cooking. The savings will be less if you cook multiple batches in the air fryer.
To put this in perspective, it typically costs less to cook a 600g chicken breast in an air fryer than it would in an oven, according to research from the Energy Saving Trust in the UK.
It found the cost was £0.13 in an air fryer compared to £0.18 in an oven in Great Britain. At the time, that roughly converts to AUD$0.26 and AUD$0.35. So, you’d save around 9 cents based on the air fryer power consumption in this example. But, if you wanted to cook more than a couple of chicken breasts, you’d be better off using an oven.
As the Energy Saving Trust puts it, “their larger size means you can fit a lot of food in at once, so they’re better for batch cooking or cooking for a large group. Using your oven in these situations could be the best value for money.”
More air fryer and kitchen electricity saving tips
- Preheat your air fryer before using it to ensure it cooks as efficiently as possible. This is similar to preheating an oven, but with an air fryer it typically takes a lot less time to heat up.
- Make use of pre-set cooking programs on your air fryer, which are designed to give you the best results for certain dishes.
- Clean your air fryer regularly to avoid it getting clogged up.
- If you’re cooking for more than a couple of people, choose a larger air fryer or use your oven to ensure the most effective use of power consumption.
- “Check your hour-by-hour electricity usage on your energy provider’s website. You can review when you are using a lot of energy and hunt down the hiding energy waster: it could be a faulty fridge or an old TV that’s been left on,” Alan Pears said.
BHG’s top air fryer recipes
If you want to start using an air fryer more to take advantage of its lower power consumption (and potential time-saving benefits), we have compiled a list of our top air fryer recipes to get you started. From scones to fried chicken, this is the perfect list of air fryer recipes for the beginner chef.
Alternatively, you can use your air fryer as a pizza oven.
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