Should I Worry About My Electric Grill Consuming Power?
If you are in the market for an electric grill, you likely have a number of questions. One of the most frequent concerns is related to how much power an electric grill will consume. This is understandable since you may have many other electronic devices plugged into the area where you will be using your electric grill.
Alternatively, you may be wondering about power consumption if you plan to use your grill frequently. After all, who wants to end up with a huge, unexpected electric bill? (If you want to accurately monitor your electric grill’s real time power consumption, you should check this power meter out. It’s small, and can be plugged in to use right away.)
So should I worry about my electric grill consuming power? The answer would be no. In the last few years, electric grills have became more energy efficient than ever before. On average in the U.S., a small indoor electric grill uses around 1400 watts of power, which costs about $0.17 per hour and $5.11 per month if you use it for 1 hour per day. So it’s relatively affordable considering you might not even use it everyday.
It is important to note that each device varies slightly in the amount of power that it will use. Thus, if this is a special area of concern for you, it might behoove you to read the user manual that came with your product.
This is the only surefire way that you will know how much energy your specific machine will use. Below are general guidelines related to power consumption of electric grills.
What Should I Know About Power Consumption Among Electric Grills?
Unlike traditional grills, an electric grill does not use charcoal, wood, or propone to warm up. Rather, there is an embedded heating element in electric grills that provide heat to the surface of the grill.
This means that your machine will be using energy to create this heat. Given the rising cost of electricity and the increasing desire of many Americans to be more energy efficient, it is important to think about how much energy your electric grill will use.
You might be pleased to know that over the past ten years, electric grills have become more energy efficient.
If you do not yet have an electric grill, the best way to determine how much power a potential grill will consume is to look at the product specifications. These may be listed online, on the box, or you might consider calling the manufacturer to obtain this information if it is not listed.
You will want to look for a model that has a low wattage rating, since the lower the wattage, the less energy the grill will need to warm up.
One additional factor that you will want to take into account when considering the power consumption of your electric grill is the size of the grill you choose. As you might imagine, electric grills that are smaller in size will tend to use less energy than larger grills.
Thus, if you will only be cooking for 1-2 people, you might want to look for a smaller grill that can accommodate smaller portions of food. There will be less surface to warm on these smaller grills.
On the flip side, if you will be cooking for a lot of people, you do not want to have to run a grill multiple times. Thus, you will want to be certain that the grill you choose can fit enough food for your whole family without running the grill twice.
If you already have your own electric grill and are concerned that it is using too much energy, there are a number of steps you can take. First, if you still have the original packaging, look at that to see how many watts of energy the product uses.
Ideally, it will be within a range that is acceptable to you. If it is not, you might consider upgrading to a newer, more efficient electric grill.
Alternatively, you could use the electric grill that is not energy efficient on a more limited basis and only when needed. Make sure to preheat only as indicated and to turn it off as soon as possible, so that you are running the grill unnecessarily.
Popular electric grills’ power consumptions & costs
| Name | Power consumption (watts) | cost ($) / per hour | cost($) / per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Foreman GBR5750SBLQ | 1200 watts | $0.14 | $4.38 |
| Simple Living Advanced Indoor Smokeless BBQ Grill | 1660 watts | $0.19 | $6.06 |
| Hot Shot Indoor Electric Smokeless Grill | 1200 watts | $0.14 | $4.38 |
| Zojirushi EB-DLC10 Indoor Electric Grill | 1500 watts | $0.18 | $5.47 |
How Much Power Does a George Foreman Grill Use?
Since the George Foreman electric grills are one of the most popular, there have been tests conducted related to their power usage. Overall, it is indeed an effective way to cook food. For example, the George Foreman/Panini Grill typically uses 1,120 watts of energy.
This works out to be an operation cost of only 0.13 cents per hour. Again, there are many different kinds of grills (even the George Foreman brand has numerous different versions) and each may have different power consumption ratings.
The above amount is not significantly different than running an oven. The exact cost of running an oven, electric grill, and any other device will vary based on the power use (in watts), the price that you are charged per kilowatt hour (you can find this on your most recent electric bill), and the approximate hours per day that you use the machine.
How Can I Save on the Power Consumption of an Electric Grill?
If you are looking to save money on your electric bill and/or reduce power consumption, there are a number of tips that will help you with this endeavor. First, make sure that you are only running your electric grill for the exact amount of time that is required.
Undercooking will require you to reheat or further cook your food. However, leaving it on too long will waste electricity.
Do not use the warming option. Rather, consider cooking your meal when you are ready to eat, and eating the meal while it is warm. This will reduce the overall amount of time that your machine is plugged in and in use.
Do not try to cook large or thick cuts of meat since smaller portions tend to cook more quickly. Additionally, if your electric grill has a lid, consider keeping it closed to reduce the amount of heat that will escape.
When heat escapes, your machine needs to reheat to the same temperature as before, which uses more power.
If there is room left on the grilling plate, consider making additional food that you can have for a later meal. By making a bigger batch of food, it is less time that will be needed to cook the same food on a different day.
If you are already firing up the grill anyway, there is no hard in cooking some extra for another meal. In addition, you will save some money and power consumption!
