What a microwave costs to run in Texas
Texas homes use 110 kWh a year on a microwave. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $7.47 to $19.80 a year across 17 published Texas plans — a $12.33 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
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Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC SPACE HEATING SERVICEtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $7.12 | −$0.35 | 7.2¢ |
| RS - TOD✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $7.47 | — | 7.4¢ |
| Residential Time-of-Use Pilot Program - Outside Austintime-of-use · pilot programme | $7.71 | +$0.24 | 7.9¢ |
| Residential servicetime-of-use | $7.80 | +$0.33 | 7.8¢ |
| RA - Residential All-Electrictime-of-use · tiered · needs an all-electric home | $8.68 | +$1.21 | 9.3¢ |
| RE - Residential Servicetime-of-use · tiered | $10.52 | +$3.05 | 10.1¢ |
| Residential Service - TOUtime-of-use · demand charge | $11.03 | +$3.56 | 10.9¢ |
| Residential Time-of-Use Pilot Programtime-of-use · pilot programme | $12.56 | +$5.09 | 12.8¢ |
| Residential Service - TOU (Alternative)time-of-use | $13.41 | +$5.94 | 13.0¢ |
| Residential - Outside Austintiered | $13.44 | +$5.97 | 12.4¢ |
| Residential Net Metering Servicetime-of-use · tiered · needs on-site generation | $13.56 | +$6.09 | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Servicetime-of-use · tiered | $13.92 | +$6.45 | 13.4¢ |
| Residential LSP POLR(McAllen Service Area)flat rate | $14.64 | +$7.17 | 14.1¢ |
| Residential Service Low Incometime-of-use · tiered · low-income rate | $14.82 | +$7.35 | 13.4¢ |
| Residentialtiered | $15.24 | +$7.77 | 13.1¢ |
| Residential Low Incometiered · low-income rate | $15.72 | +$8.25 | 19.0¢ |
| Residential LSP POLRflat rate | $19.80 | +$12.33 | 18.9¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $4.19 (RS - TOD), dearest $11.04, a $6.85 spread
- Average — cheapest $7.47 (RS - TOD), dearest $19.80, a $12.33 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $9.32 (RS - TOD), dearest $24.72, a $15.40 spread
What a microwave costs here
Across 17 plans priced in Texas, a microwave adds $7.47 to $19.80 a year — $0.62 to $1.65 a month. The median plan puts a microwave at $13.43 a year.
Cheapest for a microwave: RS - TOD, El Paso Electric Co (New Mexico). Dearest: Residential LSP POLR, Sharyland Utilities LP.
Those 110 kWh are billed at 6.8¢–18.0¢, against a 12.7¢ 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 5.3¢ per kWh.
What Texas homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 110 kWh a year across 986 sampled homes that run one, near the national 107 kWh. The middle half spans 62 kWh to 138 kWh, so a microwave varies by 76 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 — 97% of homes here.
That makes a microwave about 1% of the electricity a Texas home uses. The remaining 13,330 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 Texas provider's cheapest plan: El Paso Electric Co (New Mexico), $7.47; City of Lubbock, Texas (Utility Company), $7.80; City of San Antonio, Texas (Utility Company), $10.52; El Paso Electric Co, $11.03; Austin Energy, $13.44; Sharyland Utilities LP, $14.64.
Sharyland Utilities LP charges $7.17 a year more than El Paso Electric Co (New Mexico) on RS - TOD for the same 110 kWh.
Light and heavy use of a microwave
A household in the lighter quarter runs a microwave for 62 kWh a year and pays $4.19 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 138 kWh and pays $9.32 — $5.13 more for a microwave on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Texas, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 17 Texas 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 26.2034, -98.2300.