Oven, air fryer and slow-cooker costs and cooking swaps to save you £600

Scots facing rocketing energy bills could save up to £600 a year by using different cooking methods, according to new research.

Gas and electricity costs are set to soar after energy regulator Ofgem raised the price cap – meaning the average household cost could hit £3,549 from October (although the new Prime Minister Liz Truss may freeze bills at a lower rate).

The Shop Smart, Cook Savvy campaign from Utilita and Iceland found switching from traditional ovens to air fryers and slow cookers could help families slash cooking costs by around 80%.

The energy firm and supermarket teamed up to test a range of different appliances for efficiency, which resulted in savings of around £287 a year.

Figures show it costs around 87p a day to use an electric cooker which amounts to £26.38 a month, or £316 a year.

Dual cookers rack up 72p a day or £264 annually and a gas cooker costs 33p a day to run, coming to around £120 a year.

Slow cookers cost 16p a day or £59 annually to run, while air fryers typically cost 14p or £52 a year.

The cheapest option was the microwave, which costs only 8p a day or £30 over 12 months.

Appliance	Cost per day	Cost per week	Cost per month	Cost per year
Electric cooker	87p	£6.09	£26.38	£316.54
Dual cooker (part electric, part gas)	72p	£5.08	£22	£264.03
Gas cooker	33p	£2.32	£10.07	£120.83
Slow cooker	16p	£1.15	£4.98	£59.76
Air fryer	14p	£1.01	£4.40	£52.74
Microwave	8p	58p	£2.50	£30.02

Utilita data

The study was based on cookers being used for an average of 43 minutes a day and the other appliances being used for 20 minutes.

It included other tips that could help Scots tightening their belts:

Batch-cooking could slash £158 annually
Using the right-sized pan with a lid could save £72 a year
Simmering rather than boiling could reduce yearly bills by £68
Avoiding overfilling the kettle could cut £19 a year off energy costs

In total, households could save around £604, though your actual amount depends on a range of factors including time spent cooking, the efficiency of appliances and energy tariff.

Utilita’s sustainability expert Archie Lasseter said: “The rising cost of energy is going to create seismic shifts in consumer behaviour associated with energy consumption through a new awareness of the cost to consume.

“The impact will be far greater than any of the government’s green initiatives ever could have achieved.

“Although cooking is said to account for four percent of the average energy bill, the savings speak for themselves. It’s vital that consumers are given the facts they need to use less energy in the interest of the pocket and the planet.

“As experts in energy behaviour change, we know that consumers need to know in pounds and pence what their actions will save them, and we know that every household budgets differently, hence the daily, weekly and monthly cost savings set out in this campaign.”