Do you own a toaster? There are rarely any homes nowadays without toasters. After all, who can resist the temptation of a toaster that crisps up your daily bread for you without fail? However, do you know that a toaster significantly contributes to your electricity bill? In fact, all of your everyday electrical appliances fall into this category.
Do you wish for a method that would magically lessen your electricity bill and reduce some burdens of life? Well, solar is your answer!
If you wondering how many watts does a toaster use, read on as we explore some of the most important aspects of toasters that add to your utility bill and how you can prevent it.
The Basics of Electrical Consumption
So, shall we first explore the basic terminologies you need to know to understand how many watts does a toaster use? Have you ever wondered what all the numbers and figures on your electricity bill represent? They are your ever-trusty units of electricity consumption; they calculate how much power your electrical appliances consume daily. Devices are rated in Watts or kilowatts, so let’s see what these two terms are.
Watts
Watts (W) is your basic unit of power consumption. This power consumption denotes the electricity used by the electrical devices during operation. A rate of 200W on an appliance means that it will consume 200W of electricity every second it is running.
Kilowatts
Since the power consumption units of electrical appliances are generally very high, the term kilowatt is preferred over watts. 1 watt is equal to 1,000 kilowatts, thus the preference. Your utility bill measures the total power consumption in kW/h, i.e., how much kW of power was consumed in one hour.
Factors Affecting Toaster Wattage
Typically, toasters range from a wattage of 800W to 1,500W. However, how many watts does a toaster use can vary significantly depending on its size, brand, and features.
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Size
You must have seen a variety of sizes of toasters available in the market. If you are an avid toaster user, you must have been tempted by the larger-sized ones, no? Well, the harsh reality is that larger toasters consume far more power than smaller ones. For instance, a two-slice toaster will not pose such threats to your bill as a four-slice or a six-slice toaster would.
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Brand
As cliche as it sounds, brand counts. Toasters from brands focusing on a high-quality build consume less power despite taking longer for the bread to crisp up. On the other hand, toasters from brands ensuring a quicker crisping of the bread end up using more power, adding more load to your utility bill.
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Features
High-level toasters with advanced features such as bagel settings and defrost functions will undoubtedly seduce you with their all-rounder capabilities. Yet, how do they impact your utility bill? You guessed right. Your bill will definitely rise if you continuously use toasters with advanced features.
Aspects Influencing a Toaster's Energy Consumption
How long do you normally toast your bread for? You will be surprised to know that even the time duration and the toaster settings being used impact the overall power consumption and, thus, your utility bill.
Duration of toasting
You basically have your toaster connected to a power outlet while the toaster is crisping your bread. Of course, it will consume more power the longer it is working. Conversely, a shorter duration will affect your bills less.
Toasting settings (light vs. dark)
You must know the two toaster settings on your toaster - the light setting and the dark one. The light setting presents you with a lightly toasted piece of bread, while the dark setting is for those who enjoy their bread crisped to the fullest. Which setting you apply also affects the power consumption because the dark setting works longer and consumes more electricity.
Type of bread or items being toasted
Bread size and the type of item being toasted make a world of difference. A thicker bread piece or a frozen bagel will consume far more power to get toasted than thinly sliced bread slices or English muffins.
Comparing Toaster Energy Usage with Other Appliances
As we have discussed earlier, a toaster consumes 800W to 1,500W of power on average. Now, let’s see how this compares to other equally used electrical appliances in the kitchen.
- Microwave: How many times do you use a microwave in a day? Microwaves consume power of 600W to 1,200W (somewhat the same as your toaster), but they are used for far shorter intervals than a toaster. Of course, your daily usage and the size and features of a microwave also affect how much they add to your utility bill.
- Refrigerator: Who doesn’t own a refrigerator? The power consumption of refrigerators ranges between 100W to 800W - they consume less power than toasters. Yet, they are continuously working, adding to your utility bill.
- Blender: Blenders are yet another kitchen appliance whose usage frequency depends on your eating patterns. Ranging from 300W to 750W, they contribute less to your utility bill than toasters.
- Electric kettle: Their power consumption ranges between 1,000W to 1,500W. The electric kettle is more power-hungry than other appliances. However, their usage again depends on your eating habits; they work for short intervals but consume the same amount of power as your toaster.
- Coffee makers: Do you drink coffee every day? Ranging between 500W to 1,200W, coffee makers do contribute to your utility bill, though less than toasters. Their power consumption and usage duration are shorter.
The Cost of Toasting Your Bread
Okay, let’s learn how to calculate the wattage of a toaster, shall we?
Data you need
Before going for the calculation, make sure to have the following data:
- How many watts does a toaster use
- The total toasting time
- The cost of electricity in your area
The procedure
The following is an example of how you can calculate the cost of toasting your bread depending on your data.
Let the wattage of your toaster: 1,200W
Let the duration of toasting: 3 minutes
Let the price of electricity: $0.15 per kWh
- Converting wattage (W) to kW: 1,200/1,000 = 1.2 kW
- Converting minutes to hours: 3/60 = 0.05 h
- Multiply wattage by time to get power: 1.2 * 0.05 = 0.06 kWh
- Multiply power by electricity cost: 0.06 *0.15 = $0.009
Therefore, according to your area's electricity bill, the cost of toasting pieces of bread in a 1,200W toaster for 3 minutes is $0.009.
Tips to Reduce Toasting Costs
Simply learning how many watts does a toaster use and its contribution to your monthly bill is not enough. What you now require is a method to contain the growing electricity bill.
As you can see, simply a toaster significantly adds to your electricity bill. Don’t you desire a method to reduce your utility bills? Well, we have just the right answer for you. Go solar! Obtain BLUETTI’s awesome products, and you won’t have to worry about high electricity bills ever again.
BLUETTI AC200P Portable Power Station
The BLUETTI AC200P Power Station promises you solar energy with its eco-friendly element. You can plug in your toaster and other appliances to it without worrying about overloading it. And it will save your monthly bill. Cool, isn’t it?
Key features:
- 2000W power output allows it to run many appliances (kitchen and others) simultaneously.
- The LiFePO4 battery ensures durability.
- With its multiple outlets, multiple devices can be plugged in at once, allowing you to plug in a toaster, a coffee maker, an oven, and other appliances simultaneously.
- It can be charged using seven ways - AC, solar, car, generator, lead battery, dual AC, and AC+Solar.
BLUETTI AC300 + 1*B300 Home Battery Backup
A powerful backup for your home, the BLUETTI AC300 Home Battery Backup will provide you with the best aid in reducing your utility bills.
Key features:
- The device can provide you with 3,000W of power to smoothly run all your appliances, including your toaster.
- Storing 3,072W of power, it will last even when the sun no longer provides sunlight as an energy source. You can toast your bread even at night!
- It can harness 2,400W of power from solar panels.
- LiFePO4 battery ensures durability.
- It can be charged in seven ways - AC, solar, car, generator, lead-acid battery, dual AC, and AC+Solar.
BLUETTI B300 Expansion Battery
The BLUETTI B300 Expansion Battery with 3072 Wh capacity is a portable device you can carry around with you everywhere. Convenient, isn't it?
Key features:
- Its portability allows you to easily place it in your kitchen to power your appliances.
- With its 100W USB-C, 12V/10A car output and USB-A ports, you can power multiple devices simultaneously without issues.
- Boasting a maximum input of 200W power, it can soak up the sun’s energy and easily deliver it to your appliances.
- Charging is possible through a wall socket, car charging, or lead-acid battery.
Wrapping Up
Toasters are your ever-trustworthy devices, providing your favorite crisp bread every morning. Nevertheless, being an electrical appliance, it consumes power and thus adds to your electricity bill. Of course, the size, brand, additional features, duration of toasting, toasting settings, and type of bread being toasted affect how much power is consumed.
To escape the dilemma of increasing electricity bills, opting for solar products will substantially aid you. The BLUETTI AC200P Portable Power Station, BLUETTI AC300 Home Battery Backup, and BLUETTI B300 Expansion Battery are some great options to explore and purchase.
