What a microwave costs to run in Colorado
Colorado homes use 113 kWh a year on a microwave. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $8.31 to $18.40 a year across 5 published Colorado plans — a $10.09 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
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Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)✓ cheapestdemand charge | $8.31 | — | 8.2¢ |
| Residential Demand Service (Schedule RD)demand charge | $10.96 | +$2.65 | 12.0¢ |
| Residential Energy Time Of Use (Schedule RE-TOU)time-of-use | $17.35 | +$9.04 | 16.6¢ |
| Residential Service (Schedule R)time-of-use | $18.28 | +$9.97 | 17.3¢ |
| Residential General Service Opt-Out (Schedule R-OO)time-of-use | $18.40 | +$10.09 | 17.6¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $4.82 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $10.64, a $5.82 spread
- Average — cheapest $8.31 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $18.40, a $10.09 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $11.19 (Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR)), dearest $24.80, a $13.61 spread
What a microwave costs here
Across 5 plans priced in Colorado, a microwave adds $8.31 to $18.40 a year — $0.69 to $1.53 a month. The median plan puts a microwave at $17.35 a year.
Cheapest for a microwave: Residential Demand - Time Differentiated Rates (Schedule RD-TDR), Public Service Co of Colorado. Dearest: Residential General Service Opt-Out (Schedule R-OO), Public Service Co of Colorado.
Those 113 kWh are billed at 7.4¢–16.3¢, against a 16.6¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What Colorado homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 113 kWh a year across 345 sampled homes that run one, near the national 107 kWh. The middle half spans 66 kWh to 152 kWh, so a microwave varies by 86 kWh between one household and another.
Cooking and reheating, plus the standby draw of the clock and panel. That average covers homes with a microwave — 95% of homes here.
That makes a microwave about 1% of the electricity a Colorado home uses. The remaining 8,031 kWh is what a microwave is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of a microwave
A household in the lighter quarter runs a microwave for 66 kWh a year and pays $4.82 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 152 kWh and pays $11.19 — $6.37 more for a microwave on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Colorado, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 5 Colorado tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 39.7392, -104.9903.