U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated

Kitchen · South Carolina

How Much Does It Cost to Run an Air Fryer in South Carolina?

The short answer

In South Carolina, an air fryer drawing 1,500W costs about $0.19 per hour — roughly $2.82 a month if it runs 30 minutes a day.

That’s based on South Carolina’s average residential rate of 15.5¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 16% below the US average.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Air Fryer cost by daily use in South Carolina

Cost at 15.5¢/kWh, the South Carolina average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
6 minutes/day 3.7 $0.02 $0.56 $6.78
15 minutes/day 9.1 $0.05 $1.41 $16.94
30 minutes/day 18.3 $0.09 $2.82 $33.88
1 hour/day 36.5 $0.19 $5.65 $67.76
2 hours/day 73.0 $0.37 $11.29 $136
3 hours/day 109.5 $0.56 $16.94 $203

South Carolina vs other states

At typical use, an air fryer costs $33.88 a year in South Carolina — $71.24 less than in Hawaii and $6.02 more than in Louisiana.

South Carolina has the 20th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. South Carolina electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in South Carolina

15.5¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +5.2% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running an air fryer

An air fryer is a small convection oven: a heating element plus a powerful fan in a compact basket. It has a lower wattage than a full oven, heats up almost instantly and usually cooks 20–30% faster, so it uses much less electricity for small meals. The element cycles once the set temperature is reached; we assume it is on about 80% of the time.

  • Skip preheating for most foods — the basket heats in a couple of minutes.
  • Cook in single layers so hot air circulates and food finishes faster.
  • Use it instead of the big oven for small portions and reheating.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run an air fryer for 24 hours in South Carolina?

Running a 1,500W air fryer for 24 hours uses about 28.8 kWh, which costs about $4.46 at South Carolina’s average rate of 15.5¢/kWh.

How many kWh does an air fryer use per month?

At 30 minutes a day, a typical air fryer uses about 18.3 kWh a month. In South Carolina that costs $2.82.

Is it expensive to run an air fryer in South Carolina?

South Carolina has the 20th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 15.5¢/kWh — cheaper than most. Running an air fryer here costs about $33.88 a year at typical use, compared with $40.10 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in South Carolina right now?

The average residential electricity rate in South Carolina was 15.5¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 5.2% from a year earlier.

Is an air fryer cheaper to run than an oven?

For small meals, yes — typically about half the energy or less, because it uses lower wattage, needs little or no preheat and cooks faster.

Sources & method