Do Air Fryers Use a Lot of Electricity?
Updated 9 September 2026
No - and the reason is not the wattage. An air fryer draws roughly 1.4-2.1kW, similar to an oven element. The saving comes from heating a fifth of the volume for a fraction of the time.
Quick answer
- 1Typical air fryer: 1.4-2.1kW, running 15-25 minutes with a 2-3 minute preheat.
- 2Typical fan oven: 2-2.5kW, running the same cook plus a 10-15 minute preheat.
- 3For one to four portions the air fryer wins clearly.
- 4For a full family meal needing three batches, the oven usually wins.
Where the saving actually comes from
Both appliances pull similar power while the element is on. The difference is how long the element has to stay on, and that depends on how much air and metal there is to bring up to temperature.
A 60-litre oven cavity plus its shelves is a lot of thermal mass. A 5-litre basket is not. That is why the air fryer is hot in two minutes and the oven takes fifteen.
When an oven is the cheaper choice
As soon as you need more than one basket-load. Three sequential air fryer batches means three preheats and three cooks, and at that point one oven load is both faster and cheaper.
The same applies to long cooks. For a two-hour roast the preheat is a rounding error, so the oven has no disadvantage left.
Cutting the cost further
Skip the preheat for anything that does not need to be crisp - long cooks and dense food barely notice. Cook back-to-back batches so you reuse the heat rather than starting cold.
And do not open the drawer repeatedly. Every check dumps the hot air you just paid for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do air fryers use a lot of electricity?+
They draw 1.4-2.1kW, similar to an oven, but run for far less time and heat a fraction of the volume. For small portions they use considerably less energy overall.
Is an air fryer cheaper to run than an oven?+
For one to four portions, clearly yes - mostly because the preheat is two minutes rather than fifteen. For a large meal needing several batches, the oven is cheaper.
How many watts is an air fryer?+
Most sit between 1400W and 2100W. Larger dual-basket models can reach 2400W, though they rarely run both elements at full power simultaneously.
Does preheating an air fryer waste electricity?+
Barely - it is two to three minutes. Skip it for long cooks and dense food, but keep it for anything breaded or frozen where crispness matters.