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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Lifestyle
Sam Barker & Michelle Cullen

Cost of running air fryers and slow cookers compared to ovens and microwaves

Households across the country are looking for ways to reduce their energy bills as the evenings get darker and that much colder.

The cost of living crisis has caused many to look for alternative ways to complete everyday tasks in a more cost effective way.

Energy prices have risen to unprecedented highs, with homes facing higher energy prices than ever before, with the average household paying an additional €600 a year.

READ MORE: Son of Creeslough tragedy victim narrowly escaped death as he waited in car for dad funeral hears

Due to this, sales of low-energy cooking appliances like slow cookers and air fryers and sandwich makers have risen by 53% in a year, according to Kantar analysts this week.

But just how much do these devices save you on energy bills compared to using an oven?

Air fryer (gettyimages.ie)

Energy experts at Uswitch say running the oven for an hour will cost 24c on average.

Using an air fryer for 15 minutes costs 15c, while a microwave costs 9.7c to run simultaneously.

Meanwhile, boiler insurer Hometree says a slow cooker can use as little as 5.7c an hour in energy costs.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch , said: "Consumers can save energy while cooking depending on the method they pick. For instance, microwaves, slow cookers and air fryers all tend to be cheaper ways of cooking meals than using an oven.

"Microwaves and slow cookers use less energy than ovens, while the size of an air fryer determines its efficiency - some air fryers are similar in power to an oven, but the difference is the speed at which they work. Air fryers generally take less time to heat up and cook food.

"While cooking more efficiently will help reduce the amount of energy consumers use, the money they save as a result will only go so far. More government assistance will be needed to help customers with energy bills over the coming winter."

People are flocking to buy appliances that might save them money on energy.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, added: "With an eye on rising energy bills, shoppers appear to be searching for cheaper ways to cook as they try to avoid using their ovens.

"Sales of cooking appliances, including slow cookers, air fryers and sandwich makers, which generally use less energy, are up by 53%.

"Meanwhile, sales of duvets and electric blankets have grown by 8% while candles increased by 9%, suggesting people may be preparing for possible winter blackouts."

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