How Much Power Does Microwave Use? (Must Know This) 2025

Microwaves require power to function and exhibit their features. And, Electricity is the source for most microwaves to get the power they require.

You might be interested in the amount of power your microwave uses because the government will include the costs in your monthly or annual electricity bills.

Although the power a microwave uses varies with different models, microwaves averagely use 600-1000 watts of electricity for each operation. This s not influenced by how much power supply you have at the time of use.

In this article, I’ll tell you about the various watts and per kilowatts hour of electricity that various microwave models use.

You’d also get estimates of costs you’d have to pay in many states for different wattage ratings of microwaves.

Contents

How Much Electric Power Do Standard Microwaves Use?

Averagely, standard microwaves use between 600 to 1000 watts of electricity. However, the power a microwave uses varies based on the model of the microwave.

One factor that greatly affects the power a microwave uses is time. The longer you use your microwave for various cooking operations, the more power it consumes.

The power a microwave consumes affects the electricity because electricity is the power source.

Here is a table to show how much kilowatts per hour of electricity your microwave would be consuming per year:

Power Consumption	Hours Per Year Run	Yearly Kilowatts Per Hour
600 watts	91.3 Hours	54.8 Kilowatts Per Hour
650 Watts	91.3 Hours	59.3 Kilowatts Per Hours
700 Watts	91.3 Hours	63.9 Kilowatts Per Hour
750 Watts	91.3 Hours	68.5 Kilowatts Per Hour
800 Watts	91.3 Hours	73.0 Kilowatts Per Hour
850 Watts	91.3 Hours	77.6 Kilowatts Per Hour
900 Watts	91.3 Hours	82.2 Kilowatts Per Hour
950 Watts	91.3 Hours	86.9 Kilowatts Per Hour
1000 Watts	91.3 Hours	91.3 Kilowatts Per Hour

Considering how much power and electricity your microwave consumes, you’d also have to consider how much costs would fill up on your monthly or yearly bills.

Here is a table based on the 2021 data from EIA of how much monthly and yearly costs you’d have to pay for different microwave wattage in different areas:

State/Area	Average Electricity Rate	Monthly Electricity Cost	Annual Cost
California	22.00 Cents/kwh	1.34 dollars	16.06 dollars
New York	20.59 Cents/kwh	1.25 dollars	15.03 dollars
Texas	12.56 Cents/kwh	0.76 dollars	9.17 dollars
Massachusetts	22.59 Cents/kwh	1.37 dollars	16.49 dollars
Florida	12.21 Cents/kwh	0.74 dollars	8.91 dollars
Virginia	12.58 Cents/kwh	0.77 dollars	9.18 dollars
New Jersey	16.20 Cents/kwh	0.99 dollars	11.83 dollars
Maryland	14.48 Cents/kwh	0.88 dollars	10.57 dollars
Washington	10.38 Cents/kwh	0.63 dollars	7.58 dollars
US Average	14.19 Cents/kwh	0.86 dollars	10.36 dollars

The amount of a microwave varies with different models because of the difference in functions, features, and designs.

Here is a list of common microwaves, the functions they perform, and the amount of power they require to carry out their functions:

Built-in microwaves
Over-the-range microwaves
Low profile microwaves

#1. Built-in Microwaves

Built-in microwaves take up only a minimal amount of space. It’s perfect if your kitchen is small. Here are some fantastic features of built-in microwaves:
Built-in microwaves have a large cavity capacity.
Built-in microwaves have eye-pleasing designs.
Built-in microwaves check the safety box as they have a children’s safety lock to prevent children from tampering with the microwave.
Built-in microwaves have a full glass and touch panel, making cleaning easy.
You don’t need to worry about pre-heating when it comes to built-in microwaves, as they provide a wide variety of grill functions.
Built-in microwaves come with up to eight auto-cook menus that save you the stress of setting the perfect temperature and cooking time.

#2. Over-the-Range Microwaves

Here are some fantastic features of built-in microwaves:

Over-the-range microwaves are like countertop microwaves but better. These microwaves are better because they give you access to the countertop.
Over-the-range has pre-installed ventilation that helps to remove smoke and air toxins during heavy cooking.
Over-the-range microwaves facilitate better kitchen flow, allowing you to efficiently manage your time doing different things in the kitchen.
Over-range microwaves often have a very classy design
The high ends of over-the-range microwaves are mostly made with metals, making them very easy to clean.
Over-the-range microwaves have a unique feature called sensor cooking. This feature helps to prevent food from overcooking if you forget to take out the food.
Over-the-range microwaves have an eco-mode option to help save energy.
Over-the-range microwaves have three defrost options
Over-the-range microwaves come with up to seven easy menus for items such as pizza, beverages, potatoes, etc.
Over-the-range microwaves have timers that help to take note of how much time you cook.
There are three soft options in your microwave cheese, ice cream, and butter.

Over-the-range microwaves use about 850-1200 watts of electricity to facilitate their functions.

#3. Low-Profile Microwaves

Here are the features of low-profile microwaves:

Low-profile microwaves only take up a little space.
Low-profile microwaves provide powerful ventilation that helps to remove odor, grease, and steam during cooking easily.
Low-profile microwaves have bright lights that illuminate the area during cooking.
Low-profile microwaves have microwave presets and auto defrost, and some even have smart voice control abilities.

Low-profile microwaves use a standard 1000 watts of electricity to facilitate their operations.

How Much Power Will a 1000 Watts Microwave Use?

A microwave rated 1000 watts uses 1000 watts of electricity which translates to 1 per kilowatt of electricity.

By comparing its capacity, you can easily find your microwave’s standard wattage (electrical power rating).

Here is a table to show the capacity and wattage rating of microwaves.

Microwave Capacity	Wattage Rating
20 liters	800 Watts
23 liters	1150 Watts
28 liters	2900 Watts

Do Microwaves Consume Much Power?

No, microwaves do not consume so much power. The wattage rating depends on the time you use the microwave and the standard wattage rating of the microwave.

If you cut down on how much time you use a microwave and keep track, you’d notice that the monthly power rating would be a little.

However, it would be best to note that not all microwaves have the same microwave rating.

So it would be best if you researched the wattage rating for your microwave, depending on the model.

Does a Microwave Draw Electricity When Not in Use?

Yes, microwaves draw electricity when they are not in use.

Although the amount of electricity they consume when plugged in and not in use is relatively small, it can amount to a lot with time.

If you want to avoid paying bills for the energy you didn’t use, you should unplug your microwave when you’re not using it.

Also, not only that it draws electricity when you plug in your microwave without using it, but doing that can also create a possible hazard.

Does a Microwave Use More Power Than a Stove?

No, a microwave does not use as much power as a stove, either gas or electric. An electric stove would use about 2000 watts of electricity on average.

Here is a table to show how much power in watts and kilowatts per hour an oven would consume in a year:

Wattage Rating	Hours Per Year Run	Per Kilowatt Hour Used Yearly
2000 Watts	365 hours	730 per kilowatt hour
2400 Watts	365 hours	876 per kilowatt hour
2800 Watts	365 hours	1022 per kilowatt hour
3200 Watts	365 hours	1168 per kilowatt hour
3600 Watts	365 hours	1314 per kilowatt hour
4000 Watts	365 hours	1460 per kilowatt hour
4400 Watts	365 hours	1606 per kilowatt hour
4800 Watts	365 hours	1752 per kilowatt hour