What a microwave costs to run in Virginia
Virginia homes use 112 kWh a year on a microwave. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $8.42 to $27.54 a year across 12 published Virginia plans — a $19.12 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| TOU Residential Service Schedule 1P✓ cheapesttime-of-use · demand charge | $8.42 | — | 9.0¢ |
| Dual Fuel Service Residential Schedule 1DFtime-of-use | $8.53 | +$0.11 | 8.1¢ |
| Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1time-of-use | $11.64 | +$3.22 | 12.0¢ |
| Energy TOU Residential Service Schedule 1Ttime-of-use | $12.51 | +$4.09 | 12.7¢ |
| 1W Residential Service (Time Controlled Storage Water Heating)flat rate · needs electric heating | $13.20 | +$4.78 | 12.2¢ |
| 1S Residential Service (Demand Time-of-Use)time-of-use · demand charge | $14.44 | +$6.02 | 14.1¢ |
| Residential Energy TOU Schedule 1Ttime-of-use | $16.75 | +$8.33 | 16.2¢ |
| 1EV Residential Service with Electric Vehicle Charging (Experimental)time-of-use · experimental | $17.16 | +$8.74 | 16.1¢ |
| Residential Schedule 1time-of-use · tiered | $17.16 | +$8.74 | 16.7¢ |
| Residential Schedule 1G (Experimental Service)time-of-use · experimental | $17.48 | +$9.06 | 16.4¢ |
| EV Residential Electric Vehicle Charging (Experimental)time-of-use · experimental | $20.64 | +$12.22 | 18.9¢ |
| Residential Off-Peak Plantime-of-use | $27.54 | +$19.12 | 25.3¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $4.58 (TOU Residential Service Schedule 1P), dearest $14.83, a $10.25 spread
- Average — cheapest $8.42 (TOU Residential Service Schedule 1P), dearest $27.54, a $19.12 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $10.74 (TOU Residential Service Schedule 1P), dearest $35.12, a $24.38 spread
What a microwave costs here
Across 12 plans priced in Virginia, a microwave adds $8.42 to $27.54 a year — $0.70 to $2.29 a month. The median plan puts a microwave at $13.47 a year.
Cheapest for a microwave: TOU Residential Service Schedule 1P, Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina). Dearest: Residential Off-Peak Plan, Virginia Electric & Power Co.
Those 112 kWh are billed at 7.5¢–24.7¢, against a 13.4¢ 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 11.2¢ per kWh.
What Virginia homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 112 kWh a year across 433 sampled homes that run one, near the national 107 kWh. The middle half spans 60 kWh to 142 kWh, so a microwave varies by 82 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 — 96% of homes here.
That makes a microwave about 1% of the electricity a Virginia home uses. The remaining 12,826 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 Virginia provider's cheapest plan: Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina), $8.42; Virginia Electric & Power Co, $14.44.
Virginia Electric & Power Co charges $6.02 a year more than Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina) on TOU Residential Service Schedule 1P for the same 112 kWh.
Light and heavy use of a microwave
A household in the lighter quarter runs a microwave for 60 kWh a year and pays $4.58 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 142 kWh and pays $10.74 — $6.16 more for a microwave on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Virginia, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 12 Virginia 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 37.5407, -77.4360.