Microwave ovens are a powerful and convenient way to cook food. Relying on them instead of traditional kitchen appliances is also one of the easiest ways to reduce home power consumption. Besides managing your electric bills, understanding how many watts your microwave uses will also help you decide what type of microwave best suits your needs. If you aren’t certain how much power your microwave consumes, this short guide will break it down for you. We’ll explain how size impacts cooking power and how to determine which microwave is the right fit for your kitchen.
How Many Watts Does Your Microwave Use?
Microwaves are categorized by wattage. Commercial microwaves consume as many as 1,700 watts, though household units with this type of power ratings are rare. The typical microwave has significantly lower wattage.
- Compact Microwaves. Use around 600-800 watts. These units are designed for basic kitchen tasks, such as reheating beverages, cooking instant meals, and warming leftovers. Expect longer cooking times compared to higher wattage units.
- Standard Microwaves. Consume 800-1,000 watts. In addition to heating and defrosting, these microwaves have a wider range of power settings that can be used to cook egg, potato, chicken, and vegetable dishes, amongst others.
- Large Microwaves. Draw around 1,200 watts of power. These units offer greater versatility and are designed to cook large meals in a short amount of time.
You can find the wattage of your microwave listed in the user manual. If you can’t locate it, over-the-range or under-the-counter models generally have it listed on the serial plate inside of the door, while some countertop models have it on the back of the unit instead.
You can also test the microwave by placing a cup (eight fluid ounces) of water inside and seeing how long it takes to boil. (Make sure the container is microwave safe.)
- 1.5 Minutes = 1,200-Watt Microwave
- 2 Minutes = 1,000-Watt Microwave
- 2.5 minutes = 800-Watt Microwave
- 3 minutes = 700-Watt Microwave
- 3.5 minutes = 600-Watt Microwave
How Much Electricity Does Your Microwave Use?
Once you know its wattage, calculating a microwave’s costs is relatively simple. Electricity consumption is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh) – the amount of power required to run a 1,000 watt device for sixty minutes. For example, if you ran a 1,000-watt microwave for an hour, it would consume exactly one kWh.
To work out how much electricity your microwave uses, take the number of hours you run it in a day or week and multiply them by the unit’s wattage. Then divide by 1,000 to get its energy use in kWh. Then multiply that figure by the electricity rate in your area to determine its total cost. Put simply:
Run Time x Wattage ÷ 1,000 = kWh
kWh x Electricity Rate = Cost
Though accurate statistics are hard to come by, it’s estimated that the average household uses their microwave around 20 times a month. Here is a brief rundown of common consumption patterns. Most households use their microwave for about 15 minutes a day, though your average might differ depending on the size of your household and the meals you cook.
| Microwave Wattage | kWh per Week | kWh Per Year |
| 600 W | 1.05 | 54.8 |
| 700 W | 1.2 | 63.9 |
| 800 W | 1.4 | 73.0 |
| 1,000 W | 1.75 | 91.3 |
| 1,200 W | 2.1 | 109.2 |
Microwaves are one of the most energy-efficient kitchen appliances on the market. Even when used at twice the average rate, they’re still less costly than stovetops or convection ovens. Because they channel heat directly into your food, they reduce cooking times by up to eighty percent!
Protect Your Home with Agway
Understanding how many watts a microwave uses helps you manage household energy costs. Microwaves are the best way to reheat items and cook small meals. When used consistently, they can lead to valuable savings! Smart choices lead to greater energy savings, so contact Agway Energy Services today for reliable electricity supply with repair protection on your heating, cooling, and electrical systems from EnergyGuard™.
