How much does an air fryer cost to run?
A typical air fryer costs about 13.2p per meal to run. At 5 meals a week that is 65.8p a week, or £34.22 a year, based on 1,500 W for 20 minutes (0.50 kWh) at 26.32p per kWh.
Adjust for your air fryer
Worked example
1,500 W is 1.5 kW. Running for 20 minutes (20 ÷ 60 ≈ 0.333 hours) uses 1.5 × 0.333 ≈ 0.50 kWh. At 26.32p per kWh that costs 13.2p.
Five meals a week comes to £34.22 a year. If it replaces a full-size oven for those meals, the electric oven page shows how much less you could be spending.
How to cut the cost
An air fryer has a small chamber and a fan, so it needs little or no preheating and suits small and medium portions. Skip the preheat if the recipe allows, cook in one batch rather than several, and use the larger oven only when you are feeding a crowd.
Questions
How much does an air fryer cost to run per hour?
At 1.5 kW, one hour of continuous use would cost 39.5p, but most meals take 20 minutes or less and the element cycles, so a typical meal costs 13.2p.
Is an air fryer cheaper to run than an oven?
For small meals, usually yes, because there is far less space to heat and little or no preheating. For a large batch, or several dishes at once, a fan oven can work out cheaper per portion.
Other appliances
Electricity rate: Ofgem energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, Great Britain average, Direct Debit, default tariff: 26.32p per kWh. Your own tariff and region may differ, so change the rate above to match your bill. Appliance figures are typical estimates; your appliance's energy label or manual is more accurate. Last checked 2026-11-03. Next review: January 2027, when Ofgem announces the next quarter's cap.