While not as power-hungry as appliances like air conditioners or washing machines, it's important to know how much electricity a microwave uses when looking at your whole home's energy usage.
Generally, microwaves use between 600 and 1,000 watts (W) of electricity, depending on the model. Microwaves use about ten amps and connect to a 120-volt outlet.
How much you use your microwave has the biggest impact on how much electricity it uses over time. Assuming an average microwave needs 800 W to run:
Using your microwave for 10 minutes per day results in 0.94 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per week, 4.1 kWh per month, and 49 kWh per year.
15 minutes per day of microwave usage comes to 1.4 kWh per week, 6.1 kWh per month, and 73 kWh per year.
On the upper end, running a microwave for 20 minutes per day that's 1.9 kWh of electricity per week, 8.1 kWh per month, and 97 kWh per year.
Different-wattage microwaves use different amounts of electricity over the course of a year. Assuming you run your microwave a moderate amount (15 minutes per day, 105 minutes per week), here's how much electricity you'll use over the course of a year for different wattage microwaves:
How much electricity do microwaves use?
We'll mostly be referring to the electricity used by microwaves in terms of kWh in this article. The reason is simple: your electric bill is measured in kWh, and you get charged based on the kWh of electricity you use per month!
When you get your monthly electric bill, you only see the total amount you're charged, not how much each appliance contributes to your final bill. Based on an average wattage of 800 W for microwaves (amounting to 73 kWh/year if you use your microwave like an average household would) and using state average electricity rates, here's how the cost to run a microwave pans out over a month and a year:
Monthly and yearly costs to run a microwave by state
Note: average electricity rates are based on October 2021 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Calculate how much energy your own microwave uses
If you want to know how much electricity your microwave uses (or at least is supposed to use), take the estimated yearly electricity use in kWh – this is probably your best bet for an accurate number. Simply multiply this number by the average electricity rate in your area to estimate how much you spend to power your microwave each year. For an estimated monthly cost, divide the estimated yearly cost by 12.
What's the best time to run a microwave?
If you're on a time-of-use (TOU) rate plan, you are charged different amounts for electricity throughout the day. In general, it's cheaper to use appliances during "off-peak" hours, which are usually overnight.
What size battery do you need to back up a microwave?
All popular home batteries can power a microwave: most lithium-ion batteries like the Tesla Powerwall or Generac PWRcell have a power rating of 4 to 5 kW or higher and 10+ kWh of usable capacity. Microwaves use about 800 W (0.8 kW) of power at any one time, meaning a battery will be plenty suitable for backing up and powering your microwave, even for long periods.
How many solar panels does it take to power a microwave
On average, microwaves use about 800 W of electricity to stay powered. With solar panels rated at around 350 W, you'll be able to power a microwave with about three standard solar panels.
What are ENERGY STAR appliances?
ENERGY STAR is a U.S. government-backed system that certifies how energy-efficient appliances are. If an appliance is better than the average appliance in its category by a certain amount, it is labeled "ENERGY STAR certified." ENERGY STAR appliances cost less money to run, given that they are more efficient with the electricity they use.
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