What a microwave costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 102 kWh a year on a microwave. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $9.84 to $34.68 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $24.84 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Cheapest 25 of 39 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $9.24 | −$0.60 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $9.24 | −$0.60 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $9.84 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $9.84 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $9.84 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $9.84 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $10.68 | +$0.84 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $11.28 | +$1.44 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $11.40 | +$1.56 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $11.64 | +$1.80 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $12.84 | +$3.00 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $12.84 | +$3.00 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $13.08 | +$3.24 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $13.08 | +$3.24 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $14.76 | +$4.92 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $16.44 | +$6.60 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $16.44 | +$6.60 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $17.04 | +$7.20 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $17.04 | +$7.20 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $24.48 | +$14.64 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $25.32 | +$15.48 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $25.32 | +$15.48 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $25.44 | +$15.60 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $25.80 | +$15.96 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $25.80 | +$15.96 | 26.5¢ |
14 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $34.68 a year at this usage.
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $5.28 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $18.60, a $13.32 spread
- Average — cheapest $9.84 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $34.68, a $24.84 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $12.96 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $45.72, a $32.76 spread
What a microwave costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, a microwave adds $9.84 to $34.68 a year — $0.82 to $2.89 a month. The median plan puts a microwave at $25.44 a year.
Cheapest for a microwave: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 102 kWh are billed at 9.6¢–33.9¢, against a 26.0¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 7.8¢ per kWh.
What Massachusetts homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 102 kWh a year across 529 sampled homes that run one, near the national 107 kWh. The middle half spans 55 kWh to 135 kWh, so a microwave varies by 80 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 Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 7,135 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 55 kWh a year and pays $5.28 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 135 kWh and pays $12.96 — $7.68 more for a microwave on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Massachusetts, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 39 Massachusetts 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 42.3601, -71.0589.