How Many Watts Does a Microwave Use? See Answer

You might be surprised at how quickly your microwave consumes energy given how frequently people use them for cooking. So, How Many Watts Does a Microwave Use?

Depending on its size and power rating, your microwave will use different amounts of energy (watts). Compact Microwave: 600-800 watts; Standard Microwave: 800-1000 watts; Commercial microwave: 1000+ watts.

Please read on for more detailed information.

Table of Contents

What is a Microwave Watt?

The power needed by electrical appliances and other systems is measured in terms of energy in units called watts.

It serves as a unit for calculating a machine’s power.

You need to be familiar with some fundamental electrical terms in order to comprehend how many watts microwave ovens need.

Efficiency is characterized as the proportion of output power to input power.

In other words, an incorrect operation of a device or system is caused by the ratio of output power divided by input power.

Electrical devices, in general, only have high efficiency when there are few losses (energy wasted).

Watt-hour: a unit for calculating energy or work.

A watt-hour is equal to 1 watt over 1 hour, and it is usually written as W H or kWh and represented as “W/h,” “kWh,” etc.

When written in numbers, the larger number in front indicates that this number represents a greater overall amount of work completed in one hour than the smaller number behind it.

For instance, 1.3 megawatt hours are equal to one kilowatt hour.

One joule of work requires one watt of energy.

One second or one unit of time’s worth of work is represented by a joule, a unit of energy.

In scientific calculations, it serves as a standard unit.

3314 Btu per hour (one Btu equals 3.6 gallons of fuel) or 3600 joules per second, or 0.0368 kilowatts, is equal to one watt.

How Many Watts Does a Microwave Use?

Depending on its size and power rating, your microwave will use different amounts of energy (watts). We will divide energy consumption into typical microwave size categories for the sake of simplicity.

Small microwaves that are typically found in RVs or hotel rooms are called compact microwaves (600–800 watts).
Standard Microwave (800–1000 watts): This is the kind of microwave you would typically find in a home or break room.
Commercial microwave (1000 watts or more): Huge, potent microwaves like you’d find in a fine-dining restaurant or upscale kitchen.

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Microwave?

You can now determine how much energy your microwave uses at any given time, and with that information, we can determine how much it costs to operate. We’ll just add one more step to the formula above, multiplying usage by your costs per kWh.

(Kilowatts/hour) x (time running) x ($ per kilowatt-hour) = Energy cost to run appliance

An applied to our earlier example:

1kW x 1/12th = .0833kWh

.0833kWh x $0.10kWh = $.0083

What is Input and Output Microwave Wattage?

Let’s look at input and output wattage now that we understand what a watt is and how microwave ovens use it to heat food.

The power used to turn the microwave oven on and heat it up is known as the input wattage.

The microwave’s meter or label will have the wattage listed on it.

The power used to heat food placed inside it is measured in output watts.

On a label inside the microwave oven, the wattage is listed and measured.

There is no set ratio between input and output wattages.

Using at least 1200 watts to keep the microwave running, a microwave oven with a 1000 watt input power rating can only heat food.

Even if you add more energy (watts) into the microwave, the input wattage can never exceed 1200 watts, so the output wattage is always higher than the input wattage.

Electricity Usage of a Microwave Oven

Every day, the average American uses about 2,500 kWh of electricity.

Of this, approximately 30% is used for “residential” purposes.

The rest is employed in transportation, industrial production, and other non-residential uses.

Thus, the annual electrical consumption of the typical household is roughly 5%, which includes the use of the microwave oven.

Less than half of a microwave oven’s input wattage is typically used to heat the food placed inside; the rest is used to maintain the magnetron’s efficient frequency and heat the oven’s internal components.

Consider eating a frozen meal and using your microwave’s default settings, which are typically very conservative.

The high input wattage use in that scenario will cause the oven to heat up much more quickly than necessary.

Because heating food inside it requires less output wattage, the higher input wattage will be partially offset by longer cooking times.

The oven thermostat may not be able to regulate the temperature properly if too much energy is used or food is cooked too quickly.

As a result, when you check on your food by opening the oven door, you will start to notice varying cooking times.

Calculate How Much Energy Your Own Microwave Uses

Take the estimated annual electricity use in kWh — this is probably your best bet for an accurate number — if you want to know how much electricity your microwave uses (or at least is supposed to use). To determine how much you spend annually on powering your microwave, simply multiply this number by the local average electricity rate. Divide the estimated yearly cost by 12 to get the estimated monthly cost.

FAQs

How Much Electricity Does a Microwave Use on Standby?

While in standby, microwaves don’t use much power. An average model uses 5 watts per hour when in standby. In the majority of markets, it will cost you about 12 cents per kWh to keep your microwave on when it isn’t in use. Therefore, you can unplug your microwave when you’re not using it if 44 cents per month or $5.26 per year is too much for your budget.

How Do I Find Out How Many Watts My Microwave Is?

Looking at the product specification sheet that was included with your microwave oven or calling the manufacturer and asking them will give you the most accurate information.

Does Microwave Use Electricity When Not in Use?

Only the on/off switch on microwave ovens is used to turn on and off the microwave magnetron; otherwise, they draw power from standard household electrical sockets.

The magnetron stays on for the majority of the time due to the rapid switching, negating the need for additional mains power.

Can I Change the Wattage of the Microwave?

While you cannot change the wattage of your microwave, the majority of models let you change the power level. The amount of microwave energy used during the cooking process can be changed thanks to variable power levels.

How Do I Find the Wattage of My Microwave?

On the back of the appliance, most manufacturers list the wattage of a microwave oven. Having said that, take a look in the manufacturer’s instruction manual if you have a built-in or range microwave. Finally, you can determine the wattage by timing how long it takes for the water to boil in your microwave. For instance, boiling water should take a 700-watt appliance about 3 minutes, while a 1000-watt microwave should take no more than 2 minutes.