Quick answer: Most air fryers use 1,200–1,700 watts. Small 2–3 litre models draw around 800–1,200 W, and large dual-basket models up to about 1,800 W in North America (2,400 W in the UK). A typical 1,500 W air fryer uses at most 0.5 kWh for a 20-minute meal. That’s about 13p in the UK and 4–11¢ in Canada, depending on your province.
Those are worst-case figures at full rated power. In practice an air fryer’s thermostat switches the element on and off once it reaches temperature, so real use is usually lower. Below are the wattages by size, the cost per hour and per meal in the UK and 12 Canadian cities, and how it compares with an oven and a microwave.
How Many Watts Does an Air Fryer Use? (By Size)
| Air fryer type | Typical capacity | Typical wattage | Energy for a 20-min cook (max) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compact basket | 1.5–3 L (2–3 QT) | 800–1,200 W | 0.27–0.40 kWh |
| Standard basket | 4–6 L (4–6 QT) | 1,400–1,700 W | 0.47–0.57 kWh |
| Large or dual-basket | 7–10 L (7–10 QT) | 1,700–1,800 W (Canada/US); up to 2,400 W (UK) | 0.57–0.80 kWh |
| Air fryer oven | 10–25 L | 1,500–1,800 W | 0.50–0.60 kWh |
Your exact wattage is printed on the rating label underneath or on the back of the air fryer, next to the model number. Large models are capped lower in Canada and the US because a standard 15-amp, 120-volt household circuit is designed for about 1,800 W of continuous load. That’s also why you should plug an air fryer straight into the wall, not an extension lead or power bar.
How Much Does an Air Fryer Cost to Run in the UK?
Under Ofgem’s price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, the average electricity unit rate is 26.32p per kWh for Direct Debit customers (with VAT removed for this winter). For a typical 1,500 W air fryer at full power:
| Use | Energy | Cost (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | 1.5 kWh | 39p |
| 20-minute meal | 0.5 kWh | 13p |
| 5 meals a week for a year | 130 kWh | £34 |
Source: Ofgem price cap, October–December 2026. Your own rate depends on your tariff and region; check your bill. For the full meal-by-meal comparison, see air fryer vs oven: real UK running costs.
How Much Does an Air Fryer Cost to Run in Canada?
Electricity prices vary more across Canada than almost anywhere, so we’ve used Hydro-Québec’s annual price comparison: average residential prices for 1,000 kWh a month, excluding taxes, in effect on 1 April 2025. Costs are for a 1,500 W air fryer at full power.
| City | Price (¢/kWh) | Per hour | Per 20-min meal | Per year* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montréal, QC | 8.29 | 12.4¢ | 4.1¢ | $11 |
| Winnipeg, MB | 10.53 | 15.8¢ | 5.3¢ | $14 |
| Vancouver, BC | 12.60 | 18.9¢ | 6.3¢ | $16 |
| Ottawa, ON | 14.35 | 21.5¢ | 7.2¢ | $19 |
| Toronto, ON | 15.57 | 23.4¢ | 7.8¢ | $20 |
| St. John’s, NL | 15.59 | 23.4¢ | 7.8¢ | $20 |
| Moncton, NB | 16.61 | 24.9¢ | 8.3¢ | $22 |
| Regina, SK | 17.89 | 26.8¢ | 8.9¢ | $23 |
| Charlottetown, PE | 19.69 | 29.5¢ | 9.8¢ | $26 |
| Halifax, NS | 20.48 | 30.7¢ | 10.2¢ | $27 |
| Edmonton, AB | 22.00 | 33.0¢ | 11.0¢ | $29 |
| Calgary, AB | 22.90 | 34.4¢ | 11.5¢ | $30 |
*Five 20-minute meals a week. Source: Hydro-Québec, Comparison of Electricity Prices in Major North American Cities 2025. These include delivery and fixed charges spread over 1,000 kWh, so your marginal cost per extra kWh may be a little lower. Ontario time-of-use customers save more by cooking off-peak. Our air fryer vs oven running costs by province guide shows the saving against an oven.
Air Fryer vs Oven vs Microwave: Energy per Meal
| Appliance | Typical power | Typical time | Energy | UK cost | Toronto cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air fryer | 1.5 kW | 20 min | 0.50 kWh | 13p | 7.8¢ |
| Electric oven (incl. preheat) | about 2.3 kW average | 45 min | about 1.7 kWh | 45p | 27¢ |
| Microwave | about 1.2 kW drawn | 6 min | 0.12 kWh | 3p | 1.9¢ |
An air fryer uses roughly a third of the energy of a full electric oven for the same meal, because it heats a much smaller space and needs little preheating. A microwave is cheaper still, but it can’t crisp food. See air fryer vs microwave for which to use when, and air fryer vs deep fryer for the oil saving.
How to Work Out Your Own Air Fryer Running Cost
- Find the wattage on the rating label (for example 1,500 W) and divide by 1,000 to get kilowatts (1.5 kW).
- Multiply by cooking time in hours. 20 minutes is 0.33 hours: 1.5 × 0.33 = 0.5 kWh.
- Multiply by your electricity price from your bill. For example, 0.5 kWh × 26.32p = 13p, or 0.5 kWh × 15.57¢ = 7.8¢.
That gives a maximum. To measure the real figure, plug the air fryer into a plug-in energy monitor for a week; most cost less than an air fryer basket.
7 Ways to Cut Your Air Fryer’s Running Cost
- Skip long preheats. Most food needs 2–3 minutes or none at all.
- Cook in one batch where possible, but keep a single layer. Overcrowding means longer cooking and soggier food (why food isn’t crispy).
- Use both drawers at once on a dual-zone model, timed to finish together with our multi-food cooking planner.
- Use the right time and temperature from our cooking time calculator, so you don’t overcook.
- Convert oven recipes with the oven to air fryer converter: usually 20°C lower and 20% shorter.
- Keep it clean. A greasy element and blocked vents make it work harder. See our monthly deep-clean routine.
- Cook off-peak if you’re on a time-of-use tariff (common in Ontario and on UK smart tariffs).
Buying a new one? Bigger isn’t automatically more expensive per meal, but an oversized basket for one person wastes energy. Read how to choose an air fryer in the UK or in Canada, and check the air fryer recalls list before buying second-hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many watts does an air fryer use?
Most air fryers use 1,200–1,700 watts. Compact models use about 800–1,200 W, and large dual-basket models up to about 1,800 W in Canada and the US, or up to 2,400 W in the UK. The exact figure is on the rating label.
How much does it cost to run an air fryer for an hour?
A 1,500 W air fryer uses at most 1.5 kWh an hour. That’s about 39p in the UK under the October–December 2026 price cap, and 12–34¢ in Canada depending on the city, from Montréal to Calgary.
Does an air fryer use a lot of electricity?
No. It draws a lot of power while heating, but only for short cooking times. A typical 20-minute meal uses about 0.5 kWh, roughly a third of what an electric oven uses for the same food.
Is it cheaper to use an air fryer or an oven?
An air fryer is usually cheaper for small and medium meals because it heats a much smaller space and needs little preheating. For a large batch that needs several air fryer loads, a single oven bake can work out similar.
Can I plug an air fryer into an extension cord or power bar?
It’s best not to. Air fryers draw 1,200–1,800 W or more, close to the limit of many extension leads and power bars, which can overheat. Plug it straight into a wall socket.
Does a bigger air fryer use more electricity?
Slightly more per hour, because of higher wattage, but the cost per meal depends mostly on cooking time. Using a large basket for a single portion wastes energy, while cooking a full single layer in one go saves it.
More on running costs: UK running costs · Canada running costs by province · are air fryers toxic? · all Canada guides
