How much energy does a microwave use if just plugged in but not in use?

Question

How much energy does a microwave use if just plugged in but not in use?

Answer 1

None, or so close to it that it won't matter.  The electronics in it will use a very small amount of power to keep the clock timer alive, but the amount of power used is so small it is insignificant.

Answer 2

According to this site, the clock (which is the part that uses energy when the microwave isn't microwaving) uses about 5 watts.

In fact, if you use a typical microwave oven for less than 7.2 minutes/day, the clock uses more electricity than the microwave oven part.

This site below shows the calculations for how much energy each of these uses in a year, too.  And it also gives information on other "phantom" power users.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Since microwaves that I know of do not have a standby mode nor a transformer, the electricity  draw is very low when not in use. Also, microwaves efficiently use energy when in use compared to stoves and conventional ovens.

Answer 4

supposedly you can save around  ÃƒÂ‚£40 a year by switching it off at the plug when not in use, not sure how accurate this is though. i was told this by a colleague when i worked for an energy company last year

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Answer 5

I have a Gold star MA 780 manufactured in 2001. I just checked it with my Kill-A-Watt and it is using 1 VA.

The volt-ampere (VA) is dimensionally equivalent to the watt. This translates to about 24 watts per day or 8760 watts per year (24 watts x 365 days). This equals 8.76 KWH per year.

These loads are called "phantom loads". Most of our appliances today have these loads. Phantom loads consume a large amount of electrical energy in our society and world.

My downloadable eBook entitled "Tired of Making Your Utility Company Rich? How to Prepare for the Coming Energy Crisis" discusses these phantom loads. This inexpensive eBook provides some very simple things you can do to check phantom loads and save some money on your utility bill. You can find more information on my website.

Sincerely

H. Court Young

Geologist, author & publisher

Promoting awareness through the written word

http://www.hcourtyoung.com

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