As the nation’s most authoritative voice on cooking costs since publishing its inaugural ‘Cost to Cook’ report in August 2022, Utilita Energy has published its quarterly update, revealing how much households’ cooking habits are costing – in time for Christmas.
After giving households their first insight into the running costs of each cooking appliance in summer 2022, Utilita’s Cost of Cooking Report and Shop Smart, Cook Savvy campaign with Iceland Foods has been referenced in more than 3,000 articles across ten countries. It even informed Jamie Oliver’s primetime £1 Wonders series, which reached a record number of households.
Data scientists at Utilita – the UK’s leading Smart+ PAYG energy supplier – have crunched the numbers using the latest energy price cap, for 1st October 2023 – 31st December 2023, to reveal the cost to cook using each type of appliance (see the table below). The 1st January 2024 – 31st March 2024 price cap costs are in brackets.
| Appliance | £/Min | £/Day | £/Week | £/Month | £/Year |
| Electric Cooker | £0.018 (£0.020) | £0.28 (£0.30) | £1.95 (£2.10) | £8.46 (£9.08) | £101.48 (£109.00) |
| Dual Cooker | £0.016 (£0.017) | £0.24 (£0.25) | £1.67 (£1.78) | £7.23 (£7.73) | £86.80 (£92.72) |
| Gas Cooker | £0.007 (£0.007) | £0.10 (£0.10) | £0.71 (£0.71) | £3.06 (£3.06) | £36.67 (£36.67) |
| Slow Cooker | £0.001 (£0.001) | £0.09 (£0.10) | £0.63 (£0.68) | £2.74 (£2.94) | £32.89 (£35.33) |
| Air Fryer | £0.008 (£0.008) | £0.08 (£0.09) | £0.56 (£0.60) | £2.42 (£2.60) | £29.03 (£31.18) |
| Microwave | £0.004 (£0.004) | £0.05 (£0.05) | £0.32 (£0.34) | £1.38 (£1.48) | £16.53 (£17.75) |
In anticipation of the list becoming every household’s go-to cooking calculator, the research has been based on the energy consumption of 92 appliances across 24 sources, including academic research, legislation, and data collected from popular shopping websites.
The research reveals how using alternative cooking appliances can cut costs by up to 60-90%, and changing cooking habits can save households hundreds of pounds each year. The research also highlights the wider environmental impact of households’ cooking behaviours, revealing that oven default households switching to an air fryer could avoid generating the same amount of carbon emissions generated by driving 1,164 miles in a standard car.
| Cooking behaviour | Cost saving | Carbon saving (miles) |
| Use more energy efficient appliances | £85 | 553 |
| Batch cook, when possible | £51 | 305 |
| Use the right size pan with a lid | £40 | 140 |
| Simmer rather than boil | £38 | 132 |
| Don’t overfill the kettle | £10 | 36 |
| Total | £224 | 1,166 miles |
AIRFRYER POPULARITY SOARS
Since publishing the savings data last summer as part of the Shop Smart, Cook Savvy partnership with Iceland, 2.4 million households (8%) said they have bought an air fryer as a direct result of seeing the campaign, and one in ten (11%) said it prompted them to start using an air fryer they already owned. More than a third of all UK households (35%) use an air fryer during most mealtimes today.
Bill Bullen, Utilita founder and CEO, said: “Our research was instigated by reports that food bank users were refusing fresh vegetables for fear of the cost to boil them. We wanted to present people with the facts, to allow them to make the healthiest food choices.
“It comes back to our belief in smart meter data – knowledge is power. It’s our role to give people the insights they need to make the best decisions for the pocket and the planet. The campaign’s global appeal wasn’t surprising at a time when wholesale energy prices were at a record high.”
Archie Lasseter, Utilita’s sustainability lead, comments: “People need to know in pounds and pence what their actions will save them, hence the popularity of this campaign. Our latest research reveals that there’s been a 22% uplift in peoples’ awareness of the cost to cook since the campaign with almost half of the nation (46%) now being appliance aware.
“The planet is benefitting too – in the 12 months since the campaign, those with air fryers are now using their power-hungry ovens 44% less than they were.”
