What a microwave costs to run in Oregon
Oregon homes use 117 kWh a year on a microwave. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $13.17 to $22.32 a year across 8 published Oregon plans — a $9.15 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Not indexed. This page does not yet meet the site’s own publication threshold — 82.7% similar to /cost-to-run/refrigerator/oregon, limit 82%. It is shown because the data behind it is real, not because it is complete.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Electric Vehicle TOU Option (Rate 7-EV)time-of-use · needs an electric vehicle | $3.96 | −$9.21 | 4.7¢ |
| Residential Electric Vehicle TOU Option (Rate 7-EV)time-of-use · tiered · needs an electric vehicle | $10.90 | −$2.27 | 10.6¢ |
| Residential Time-Of-Use Service (Rate 7-TOU)✓ cheapesttime-of-use · tiered | $13.17 | — | 12.5¢ |
| Residential Time-Of-Use Service (Rate 7- TOU or EV)time-of-use · tiered · needs an electric vehicle | $17.12 | +$3.95 | 16.4¢ |
| Residential Service (Rate 7)tiered | $18.24 | +$5.07 | 17.3¢ |
| Residential Time-Of-Use Service (Rate 7-TOU of EV)time-of-use · tiered · needs an electric vehicle | $20.91 | +$7.74 | 19.7¢ |
| Residential Service (Rate 7)tiered | $21.36 | +$8.19 | 20.1¢ |
| Residential Service (Rate 7)tiered | $22.32 | +$9.15 | 20.9¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $7.62 (Residential Time-Of-Use Service (Rate 7-TOU)), dearest $12.96, a $5.34 spread
- Average — cheapest $13.17 (Residential Time-Of-Use Service (Rate 7-TOU)), dearest $22.32, a $9.15 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $17.07 (Residential Time-Of-Use Service (Rate 7-TOU)), dearest $28.92, a $11.85 spread
What a microwave costs here
Across 8 plans priced in Oregon, a microwave adds $13.17 to $22.32 a year — $1.10 to $1.86 a month. The median plan puts a microwave at $19.80 a year.
Cheapest for a microwave: Residential Time-Of-Use Service (Rate 7-TOU), Portland General Electric Co. Dearest: Residential Service (Rate 7), Portland General Electric Co.
Those 117 kWh are billed at 11.3¢–19.1¢, against a 18.7¢ 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 0.4¢ per kWh.
What Oregon homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 117 kWh a year across 295 sampled homes that run one, near the national 107 kWh. The middle half spans 68 kWh to 151 kWh, so a microwave varies by 84 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 — 94% of homes here.
That makes a microwave about 1% of the electricity an Oregon home uses. The remaining 11,015 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 68 kWh a year and pays $7.62 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 151 kWh and pays $17.07 — $9.45 more for a microwave on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Oregon, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 8 Oregon 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 45.5152, -122.6784.