Households could save over £600 a year while cooking – by using cheaper appliances

Batch-cooking, letting water simmer rather than boil, and using more economical cooking appliances, are just some of the ways UK households could save up to £604 a year while cooking, data has found.

A study has shown a detailed cost breakdown of each of the six main types of cooking appliance commonly used in UK homes, based on the average amount of time they are used for each day.

The appliances, from electric and gas cookers to air fryers and microwaves, can rack up as much as £905 in total each year – with electric cookers costing the most to run, at 87p a day, or £316.54 annually.

At the other end of the scale, air fryers and microwaves are the most economical to cook with – with air fryers costing 14p a day to run, or £52.74 a year, and microwaves using just 8p of energy daily, or £30.02 over 12 months.

The figures – based on the latest figures from Cornwall Insight on 22nd August – come as energy supplier Utilita, and supermarket chain Iceland, are set to rollout the “Shop Smart, Cook Savvy” campaign in-stores and online in September, to help identify the most economical ways of cooking.

And it is not just switching appliances that could save money, as the data found batch-cooking food could save up to £158 a year, while using the right sized pan, with a lid, could cut costs by £72.

Letting water simmer rather than leaving it boiling can also save £68 annually, and not overfilling the kettle could leave you with an extra £19 over a 12-month period.

The research is based on the energy consumption of 83 appliances across 24 sources, including academic research, legislation, and data collected from popular shopping websites.

It comes after research of 2,000 households found they spend approximately 43 minutes cooking each day, with 42% using the oven by default for most of their cooking needs.

But more than half (52%) admitted they don’t know which of their cooking appliances cost more to run.

Archie Lasseter, Utilita’s sustainability lead, said: “The rising cost of energy is going to create seismic shifts in consumer behaviour associated with energy consumption, through a new awareness of the cost to consume.

“The impact will be far greater than any of the Government’s green initiatives ever could have achieved.

“Although cooking is said to account for 4% of the average energy bill, the savings speak for themselves.

“It’s vital that consumers are given the facts they need in order to use less energy in the interest of the pocket and the planet.”

As part of the joint campaign, both Utilita and Iceland have committed to 11 pledges – including an overhaul of Iceland’s own-product packaging to reflect more energy efficient cooking appliances and methods, and a national “Cooking High 5” consumer awareness tour.

Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, said: “The cost-of-living crisis continues to be the biggest national issue facing consumers.

“As a private, family-run business, we’re constantly looking at both short- and long-term initiatives that can offer any support.

“Our “Shop Smart, Cook Savvy” collaboration with Utilita is so important, as it shines a light on the relationship between what we buy and how much energy we use cooking it – helping to empower our customers and provide them with access to information that can help stretch their budgets further.”

HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO RUN DIFFERENT COOKING APPLIANCES*:

1. ELECTRIC COOKER

• Cost per day to run: 87p
• Cost per week to run: £6.09
• Cost per month to run: £26.38
• Cost per year to run £316.54

• CO₂e emissions (equivalent miles driven in average car): 609

2. DUAL COOKER (PART ELECTRIC, PART GAS)

• Cost per day to run: 72p
• Cost per week to run: £5.08
• Cost per month to run: £22
• Cost per year to run: £264.03

• CO₂e emissions (equivalent miles driven in average car): 609

3. GAS COOKER

• Cost per day to run: 33p
• Cost per week to run: £2.32
• Cost per month to run: £10.17
• Cost per year to run: £120.83

• CO₂e emissions (equivalent miles driven in average car): 611

4. SLOW COOKER

• Cost per day to run: 16p
• Cost per week to run: £2.32
• Cost per month to run: £10.07
• Cost per year to run: £120.83

• CO₂e emissions (equivalent miles driven in average car): 611

5. AIR FRYER

• Cost per day to run: 14p
• Cost per week to run: £1.01
• Cost per month to run: £4.40
• Cost per year to run: £52.74

• CO₂e emissions (equivalent miles driven in average car): 102

6. MICROWAVE

• Cost per day to run: 8p
• Cost per week to run: 58p
• Cost per month to run: £2.50
• Cost per year to run: £30.02

• CO₂e emissions (equivalent miles driven in average car): 58

*Daily, weekly, and monthly costs may not add up to the annual cost due to rounding.