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Electricity usage of a Microwave

A microwave oven is a common kitchen appliance used for heating or cooking food by utilizing electromagnetic radiation. Compact microwaves use between 500 and 800 watts during heating, while a regular sized microwave will use 850 to 1800 watts depending on the model. An average modern microwave will use around 1200 watts.

Click calculate to find the energy consumption of a microwave oven using 1200 Watts for 30 minutes a day @ $0.10 per kWh.

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Hours Used Per Day: Enter how many hours the device is being used on average per day, if the power consumption is lower than 1 hour per day enter as a decimal. (For example: 30 minutes per day is 0.5)

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In addition to using energy while cooking or heating, a microwave will also use 2 to 7 watts of power while in standby mode. This energy is used to display the clock and to wait for a user command. In a single year a microwave using 4 watts in 24/7 standby mode will use 35 kWh, this is not a significant amount of electricity but if you are away for a considerable amount of time you may consider unplugging your microwave to conserve energy.