What a microwave costs to run in Minnesota
Minnesota homes use 113 kWh a year on a microwave. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $9.80 to $18.24 a year across 24 published Minnesota plans — a $8.44 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
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Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Heat Pump Service (E06)time-of-use · needs a heat pump | $6.32 | −$3.48 | 6.0¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service/Non-Demand Metered (E10 )-Residentialtime-of-use · needs controlled load equipment | $6.56 | −$3.24 | 6.2¢ |
| Energy Controlled Service Non-demand metered Residential (A05)flat rate · needs controlled load equipment | $8.28 | −$1.52 | 8.0¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $9.39 | −$0.41 | 10.5¢ |
| Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $9.80 | — | 10.9¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Standardtime-of-use | $9.96 | +$0.16 | 10.8¢ |
| Residential Service (D01/D03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $10.32 | +$0.52 | 11.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $10.48 | +$0.68 | 10.6¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $11.49 | +$1.69 | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Undergound (E04) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $11.49 | +$1.69 | 11.8¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Overhead (E02)time-of-use | $12.07 | +$2.27 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service Time Of Day - Underground (E04)time-of-use | $12.07 | +$2.27 | 12.3¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground (E03)time-of-use · tiered | $12.48 | +$2.68 | 12.4¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01) Electric Space Heatingtime-of-use · tiered · needs electric heating | $12.48 | +$2.68 | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead (E01)time-of-use · tiered | $13.08 | +$3.28 | 12.6¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Electric Space Heating (A04)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $15.41 | +$5.61 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Electric Space Heating (A02)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $15.41 | +$5.61 | 14.5¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Electric Space Heating (A03)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $15.68 | +$5.88 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Electric Space Heating (A01)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $15.68 | +$5.88 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential TOD Underground Standard (A04)time-of-use | $16.89 | +$7.09 | 15.8¢ |
| Residential TOD Overhead Standard (A02)time-of-use | $17.55 | +$7.75 | 16.3¢ |
| Residential Electric Vehicle Service (A08)time-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $18.01 | +$8.21 | 16.7¢ |
| Residential Service - Overhead Standard (A01)time-of-use | $18.24 | +$8.44 | 17.0¢ |
| Residential Service - Underground Standard (A03)time-of-use | $18.24 | +$8.44 | 17.0¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $5.85 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $10.88, a $5.03 spread
- Average — cheapest $9.80 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $18.24, a $8.44 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $12.36 (Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard), dearest $23.08, a $10.72 spread
What a microwave costs here
Across 24 plans priced in Minnesota, a microwave adds $9.80 to $18.24 a year — $0.82 to $1.52 a month. The median plan puts a microwave at $12.78 a year.
Cheapest for a microwave: Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard, Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota). Dearest: Residential Service - Underground Standard (A03), Northern States Power Co - Minnesota.
Those 113 kWh are billed at 8.7¢–16.2¢, against a 12.5¢ 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 3.7¢ per kWh.
What Minnesota homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 113 kWh a year across 318 sampled homes that run one, near the national 107 kWh. The middle half spans 67 kWh to 142 kWh, so a microwave varies by 75 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 — 98% of homes here.
That makes a microwave about 1% of the electricity a Minnesota home uses. The remaining 9,218 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.
By provider
On each Minnesota provider's cheapest plan: Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota), $9.80; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (South Dakota), $12.07; Northern States Power Co - Minnesota, $16.89.
Northern States Power Co - Minnesota charges $7.09 a year more than Northern States Power Co - Minnesota (North Dakota) on Residential Time of Day Service (D02/D04) Standard for the same 113 kWh.
Light and heavy use of a microwave
A household in the lighter quarter runs a microwave for 67 kWh a year and pays $5.85 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 142 kWh and pays $12.36 — $6.51 more for a microwave on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Minnesota, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 24 Minnesota 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 44.9778, -93.2650.