At the U.S. average price of 18.16¢ per kWh. Your state's price changes these numbers; use the calculator.
Work out your cost
Change any number. The price per kWh is on your electric bill.
Starts at the U.S. average residential price, 18.16¢/kWh (August 2026, EIA, checked Oct 24, 2026). Month is 30 days; year is 12 such months.
The formula
cost = watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × price per kWh
Worked example: 2,000 W × 1 h ÷ 1,000 = 2 kWh a day. 2 kWh × $0.1816 = $0.36 a day, or about $10.90 over 30 days.
How many watts does an electric oven use?
Most are rated 2,000 to 3,600 W. The rating plate is usually inside the oven door frame, behind the storage drawer, or in the installation guide. It lists the bake and broil element watts.
- ACEEE measured 2.0 kWh for one hour of baking at 350°F in an electric oven, which is an average draw of about 2,000 W once preheating and thermostat cycling are included. That is our default.
- Bake elements are typically rated about 2,000 to 2,600 W. Crosley lists 2,600 W bake and 3,000 W broil on its CRE3530PW/B range, GE's WB44T10011 replacement bake element is 2,600 W at 240 V, and Thermador lists 2,000 W bake and 3,600 W broil per cavity on its ME302JS double wall oven.
- The element only runs at full power while preheating or recovering heat. Once the oven reaches the set temperature, the thermostat switches it on and off, so the rated wattage is a ceiling, not a constant draw.
- A convection oven cooked the same ACEEE test meal at 325°F in 45 minutes using 1.4 kWh, an average of about 1,867 W.
- DOE's 2014 standards analysis put the average annual use of a standard electric oven at 166.5 kWh a year and a self-cleaning electric oven at 171.0 kWh.
Cost at different electricity prices
| Use | Nevada (lowest state)12.72¢/kWh | U.S. average18.16¢/kWh | New York28.65¢/kWh | California29.75¢/kWh | Hawaii (highest state)47.18¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broiling for 15 minutes a day at the full 3,600 W element27 kWh a month | $3.43$41.21/yr | $4.90$58.84/yr | $7.74$92.83/yr | $8.03$96.39/yr | $12.74$153/yr |
| Convection baking at 325°F, 45 minutes a day42 kWh a month | $5.34$64.12/yr | $7.63$91.54/yr | $12.04$144/yr | $12.50$150/yr | $19.82$238/yr |
| Baking at 350°F for 1 hour a day60 kWh a month | $7.63$91.58/yr | $10.90$131/yr | $17.19$206/yr | $17.85$214/yr | $28.31$340/yr |
| Holiday baking or roasting, 3 hours a day180 kWh a month | $22.90$275/yr | $32.69$392/yr | $51.57$619/yr | $53.55$643/yr | $84.92$1,019/yr |
Per month (30 days) and per year (12 such months). Real use is usually seasonal. Average residential prices for August 2026 from the same EIA table. Your utility's rate, including delivery charges, may differ. Check the price per kWh on your bill.
Ways to pay less
- Use a smaller appliance for small meals DOE recommends a toaster oven, air fryer, slow cooker, multicooker or microwave for small meals. In ACEEE's test the same meatloaf took 2.0 kWh in the oven and 0.95 kWh in a toaster oven, a saving of about $0.19 per meal at 18.16¢/kWh.
- Keep the door closed Each time the door opens, hot air escapes and the element has to run again to recover. Check food through the window with the oven light instead.
- Skip preheating for long roasts USDA says preheating is not necessary when roasting a turkey, and long roasts and casseroles rarely need it. Breads and pastries are the main exception.
- Use convection when the recipe allows ACEEE's convection test ran 25°F cooler and 15 minutes shorter, using 1.4 kWh against 2.0 kWh. That is about $0.11 less for the same meal.
- Cook more than one dish at a time Fill the racks with side dishes or a second batch while the oven is already hot. Reheating leftovers takes far less energy than cooking from scratch.
Questions
How much does it cost to run an electric oven for an hour?
About $0.36 for an hour of baking at 350°F, based on ACEEE's 2.0 kWh measurement and the U.S. average of 18.16¢/kWh (EIA, August 2026). With the element on the whole hour, the ceiling is about $0.65 for a 3,600 W broil element. At state prices, the same hour of baking runs from about $0.25 in Nevada (12.72¢/kWh) to $0.94 in Hawaii (47.18¢/kWh).
How much does it cost to cook a Thanksgiving turkey in an electric oven?
About $1.36 to $1.54 for an unstuffed 14 to 18 lb turkey. USDA's roasting chart gives 3¾ to 4¼ hours at 325°F, and we apply ACEEE's 2.0 kWh an hour for baking, so treat it as an estimate. Side dishes baked in the same oven at the same time add little.
How much does an electric oven cost to run per month?
About $10.90 a month if you bake for an hour every day at 18.16¢/kWh. Many homes use it less: DOE's estimate of 166.5 kWh a year for a standard electric oven works out to about 13.9 kWh a month, or about $2.52 a month.
Does an electric oven use a lot of electricity?
It draws a lot while it heats, but most homes run it for short periods. An hour a day for 30 days is 60 kWh, about 7% of the 899 kWh a month EIA says the average U.S. home uses. A space heater or electric water heater usually costs more over a month.
Is a toaster oven or microwave cheaper than an electric oven?
Yes, for small meals. ACEEE's same-recipe test used 2.0 kWh in an electric oven, 0.95 kWh in a toaster oven and 0.36 kWh in a microwave. At 18.16¢/kWh that is about $0.36, $0.17 and $0.07. A full-size oven is more efficient when it is full.
Does an electric oven use more electricity than a bitcoin miner?
Per hour yes, per month no. An 800 W Avalon Mini 3 home miner draws 40% of the oven's 2,000 W baking average, but it runs around the clock: 576 kWh over 30 days, about $105 at 18.16¢/kWh, against $10.90 for an hour of baking a day. At the November 1, 2026 hashprice the miner earns back about 36% of its electricity, so its net cost is about $67.32 a month. Mining income moves with the bitcoin price and network difficulty; our bitcoin heater page recalculates it daily.
Sources
- U.S. EIA: Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average price of electricity by state, August 2026 (released Oct 23, 2026). Used for: U.S. average residential rate (18.16¢/kWh) and state rates
- ACEEE Smarter House: Cooking, energy-saving tips. Used for: Same-recipe energy test: electric oven 350°F 1 hr 2.0 kWh; convection 325°F 45 min 1.4 kWh; toaster oven 0.95 kWh; microwave 0.36 kWh; door and multi-dish tips
- Federal Register: DOE energy conservation standards for residential conventional cooking products (Feb 12, 2014), Table II.14. Used for: Average annual energy use: standard electric oven 166.5 kWh/yr, self-clean electric oven 171.0 kWh/yr
- Crosley: CRE3530PW/B electric range specifications. Used for: Bake element 2,600 W, broil element 3,000 W
- Thermador: ME302JS 30-inch double built-in oven specifications (PDF). Used for: Bake 2,000 W and broil 3,600 W per cavity
- GE WB44T10011 bake element listing (ApplianceParts4All). Used for: OEM bake element rated 2,600 W at 240 V
- U.S. DOE: Energy Saver guide (2022, PDF). Used for: Use small appliances for small meals; residential ovens are not ENERGY STAR certified
- USDA FSIS: Turkey basics, safe cooking. Used for: Roasting times at 325°F (14 to 18 lb unstuffed: 3¾ to 4¼ hours); preheating not necessary (page blocks automated checks; confirmed via search listing)
- U.S. EIA: How much electricity does an American home use?. Used for: Average U.S. residential customer about 899 kWh a month
- WattCost: hashprice (mempool.space), November 1, 2026, and Canaan Avalon Mini 3 specifications. Used for: Avalon Mini 3: 37.5 TH/s at 800 W; mining income at $33.14 per PH/s a day