By Erik Watkins

How Many Watts Does A Toaster Use? – Detailed Explanation

Last updated: May 16, 2023
How Many Watts Does A Toaster Use

Compared with other household appliances, toasters are energy-efficient. If your electricity bill is much higher than last month and you want to look for some blackouts, it is essential to know this number.

I’m not an electrician, but thanks to my self-taught experience, I’ll break down technical terms and tricks in the most comprehensive way for you.

So, without further ado, let’s follow along! 

How Many Watts Does A Toaster Use? 

A 2-slice toaster comes with a rated power of between 800 and 1500 watts with an average value of 1150 to 1200 watts. Meanwhile, a 4-slice one goes between 1100 and 2500 watts with 1,400 to 1,500 watts of electricity on average.

There is the 6-slice size too, but this toaster model is less popular. So standard ones only go in 2 sizes: 2-slice bread toaster and 4-slice bread toaster. These are typical power ratings of a standard toaster, but the toaster wattage can vary higher or lower by make and model.

For instance, you can easily encounter a 2-slice toaster that consumes 750 watts of electricity and another 2-slice one that draws 1,000 watts of power.

As for 4-slice toasters, they can range from anywhere between 1,500 and 2,000 watts of power.

Not to mention, there are four types of toasters which are standard toaster (regular toaster), toaster oven, convection ovens, and commercial toaster. And consumption of watts of a toaster can vary a lot.

There’s one thing that you should always be aware of: the lower wattage, the longer a toaster takes to finish its job (the more you get billed for).

If you wish to check the actual energy consumption of your kitchen appliances, I’ll tell you the 3 easiest ways: 

#1: Find the small backside or topside sticker with basic information about the home appliances. 

#2: Look for the information which is usually printed in the instruction booklet. 

#3: Or, you can Google them based on the make and model! How easy that can be! 

Detailed Estimation of Energy And Cost 

So, how do we calculate how much energy a toaster uses and the electricity cost with simple math? 

Let me break it down for you.

We have such information: 

  • A person needs 4 slices of bread every single day of a month; 
  • He uses a four-slice toaster with an average wattage of 1,800 watts (or 1.8 kWh of electricity)
  • The toaster takes him 4 minutes per serve to toast bread slices.

Now that, with the calculation: 

Wattage in kilowatts X time of usage in hours = Energy consumed in one month 

We’ll have something like this: 

1.8 kW X (4 minutes/day X 30 days/month) = 1.8 kW X 2 hours = 3.6 kWh per month

So, for 2 people, the number doubles with a total consumption rate of around 7.2 kWh per month: 3.6 kWh X 2 people = 7.2 kWh

With the same math, for a family of four, the energy consumption will be around 14.4 kWh per month: 3.6 kWh X 4 people = 14.4 kWh

You can see in the above example. With an average rate of electricity at 14 cents per month per Kilowatt Hour, the monthly energy prices for each person to use the toaster would be:

3.6 X 14 = 50 cents per month, equivalent to $0.5 for each person in a month.

For a 4-member family, the average monthly power consumption cost should be more or less $2 ($0.5 X 4 = $2).

Still, the actual cost of using a toaster will fluctuate due to the actual power usage, session time, the amounts of food, and electricity price since the charged rate varies among energy companies.

Tips To Choose Energy-Efficient Toasters

choose Energy Efficient Toasters

Generally speaking, how much power a toaster uses in a household for one year is a negligible amount. It may not even be the same amount of energy it took the manufacturer to design the toaster, plus the energy it takes to transport a similar model to the landfill.

However, it’s still a good idea to choose models with the highest level of energy-efficient.

  1. Buy a durable and well-designed toaster from manufacturers with good credit. If you bring home a poor-quality toaster, the fixing cost will be likely to outweigh the electricity cost of the entire year. 
  2. Go for toasters with a covered top. Because it will help prevent less heat from getting out, which means less electricity is required for the toasting process.
  3. Stick to standard features only. Toasters with notification bells, LED indicator lights, timers, or reheat settings will consume more watts of energy than the standard ones.

Besides, while using your home toasters, you should unplug them from the wall socket to save some power usage.


Conclusion – Are Toasters Worth It?

Everything you need to know about how many watts a toaster uses is kindly explained.

I personally believe toasters are worth it as they work quickly, efficiently, and at an extremely low cost (despite the high wattage of the toaster). Feel free to make the most out of a toaster without skyrocketing your electricity bills.

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Automotive Mechanic at PowerAll

With 7 years experience in management positions leading automotive mechanics at PowerAll, Erik Watkins wishes to share useful knowledge and information about automotive mechanical equipment.

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