ENERGY · RUNNING COSTS

What an electric oven costs to run

On the price cap from 1 October to 31 December 2026, an electric oven rated 0.81 kWh a use costs 21.3p a use, in Great Britain on average and paying by Direct Debit. Put in your own model and region below.

Your region
Today's cap
Real models

Each time it runs

21.3p

At 26.32p a kWh: the cap's Great Britain average on Direct Debit, 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026.

A week: 64p
A month: £2.78
A year: £33.35

The working

0.81 kWh × 26.32p a kWh (Great Britain average, Direct Debit, VAT included) = 21.3p each time.
3 times a week is 64p; × 52.14 weeks = £33.35 a year, or £2.78 a month.

The standing charge (54.83p a day here) isn't in these figures: you pay it whatever you run. On Economy 7 or another time-of-use tariff, the cost depends on when it runs and your supplier's rates.

Real models

Ratings from each maker's or retailer's page. Great Britain average, Direct Debit.

Model	Rating	Each time
Bosch Series 2 HHF113BR0B built-in single oven, 66 L	0.79 kWh a use	20.8p
Bosch Series 4 HBS534BB0B built-in single oven, 71 L	0.81 kWh a use	21.3p
Neff N 50 B6ACH7HH0B Slide&Hide built-in single oven, 71 L	0.81 kWh a use	21.3p
AEG BCS556020M built-in single oven, 71 L	0.69 kWh a use	18.2p

Where you live

An electric oven rated 0.81 kWh a use, on Direct Debit. The Great Britain average is 27.80p a kWh paying on receipt of a bill, and 25.52p on prepayment.

Region	A kWh	Each time	A year
Great Britain average	26.32p	21.3p	£33.35
Eastern England	26.61p	21.6p	£33.72
East Midlands	25.36p	20.5p	£32.13
London	26.60p	21.5p	£33.70
Merseyside and North Wales	27.86p	22.6p	£35.30
West Midlands	25.60p	20.7p	£32.44
North East England	25.46p	20.6p	£32.25
North West England	26.49p	21.5p	£33.56
Southern England	26.47p	21.4p	£33.53
South East England	26.88p	21.8p	£34.06
South Wales	26.55p	21.5p	£33.65
South West England	26.58p	21.5p	£33.68
Yorkshire	25.60p	20.7p	£32.44
South Scotland	26.11p	21.1p	£33.08
North Scotland	26.35p	21.3p	£33.38

A year is 3 uses a week: my assumption, so put in your own use above.

Air fryer, oven or microwave

The same dishes, measured. Great Britain average, Direct Debit.

Dish	Air fryer	Electric oven	Microwave
Roast chicken, 1.3 to 1.4 kg	14.2p: 53 min, 0.54 kWh	30.5p: 76 min, 1.157 kWh	Not tested
Frozen chips, 320 g	7.6p: 23 min, 0.287 kWh	22.7p: 33 min, 0.863 kWh	Not tested
Jacket potato, about 200 g	10.3p: 48 min, 0.392 kWh	28.5p: 68 min, 1.084 kWh	3.9p: 8 min, 0.149 kWh
Three-egg sponge cake (smaller in the air fryer)	5.9p: 33 min, 0.223 kWh	18.7p: 56 min, 0.71 kWh	Not tested

Which? cooked each dish in a Morphy Richards Health Fryer 480003 air fryer and a Bosch Serie 2 HHF113BR0B built-in oven, measuring the energy in its lab, any preheating included. The microwave's jacket potato is from its microwave buying guide. Each cost is the energy it measured at 26.32p a kWh. Cooking in batches can change the answer: a full oven cooks more at once. (Which?: air fryer vs oven, energy use and cooking results compared (16 October 2026); Which?: how to buy the best microwave (1 October 2026))

What it uses

The energy label gives the energy used per cycle in kWh, for the conventional setting and the fan setting, on a standard test load. The connected load in the specifications (in W or kW) is the most it can draw, not what it uses an hour.

Does it always use this much? No. The connected load is the most the oven can draw. In Which?'s test, a 76-minute roast chicken including preheating used 1.157 kWh in a Bosch oven whose spec sheet gives a 2,400 W connection rating; 2,400 W for 76 minutes would be 3.04 kWh.

Spending less

Avoid opening the oven door more than necessary while it's on, to keep hot air in. Look through the glass instead. (Energy Saving Trust: Air fryer vs oven (updated 6 October 2026))
Batch cook in a full oven and reheat portions in the microwave as you need them. Boil potatoes on the hob before roasting to cut their time in the oven. (Energy Saving Trust: Air fryer vs oven (updated 6 October 2026))
Skip preheating where you can. AEG's product information sheet advises: 'When possible, do not preheat the oven before cooking', and to keep breaks between baking as short as possible when cooking several dishes. (AEG product information sheet BCS556020M)

Questions

How much does an electric oven cost to run?

An electric oven rated 0.81 kWh a use costs 21.3p a use at the price cap's 26.32p a kWh (Great Britain average, Direct Debit, from 1 October to 31 December 2026). For 3 uses a week, that's £33.35 a year. The calculator above takes your own model, use, region and how you pay.

How much electricity does an electric oven use per hour?

There isn't one figure. The connected load (2,300 W to 2,990 W on the single ovens I checked) is the most it can draw, but it doesn't run flat out the whole time. Which? measured a Bosch built-in oven rated 2,400 W using 1.157 kWh to roast a chicken in 76 minutes, preheating included. The energy label gives a per-cycle figure instead, 0.69 to 1.09 kWh on the ovens I checked.

Is fan or conventional cheaper to run?

On every label I checked, the fan setting uses less per cycle: Bosch HBS534BB0B 0.81 kWh fan against 0.97 kWh conventional, Neff B6ACH7HH0B 0.81 against 1.04, AEG BCS556020M 0.69 against 1.09.

When is the oven the better choice?

For batches and big groups. The Energy Saving Trust says an electric oven is better for batch cooking or cooking for a large group, and Which? says an oven may still be the most economical choice when cooking for a crowd.