How Much Does It Cost to Run an Instant Pot?

About 4 cents a meal. The default is a 1,000 W pot on for 30 minutes at a 50 percent duty cycle, which is 1 x 0.5 x 0.5 = 0.25 kWh, and 0.25 x $0.173 is $0.043 at the national average rate.

About 17 cents for an hour at full power, since 1 kWh x $0.173 = $0.173. Averaged over an hour of pressure cooking with the element cycling about half the time, it is about 9 cents.

About $1.30 a month if you use it every day: 0.25 kWh x 30 = 7.5 kWh, and 7.5 x $0.173 is $1.30. Over a year that is about 91 kWh, roughly $16.

1,000 W for the common 6 quart model, 700 W for the 3 quart mini and 1,200 to 1,500 W for the 8 quart. It draws that much while heating up, then cycles at a fraction of it while holding pressure.

Yes, by 10 times or more for a long braise. A 3 hour oven roast at a 50 percent duty cycle on a 3,000 W element uses about 4.5 kWh, about 78 cents. The same dish in a pressure cooker uses roughly 0.3 to 0.4 kWh, about 5 to 7 cents.

In pressure mode, yes. A slow cook of 8 hours on low uses roughly 0.7 to 1.5 kWh, about 12 to 26 cents, against about 4 cents for a pressure cooked meal. The Instant Pot's own slow cook mode costs about the same as a slow cooker.

No. It draws 1,000 W while heating but only for a short time, and the sealed, insulated pot needs little power to hold pressure. Used daily, it uses about 91 kWh a year, about $16.

A little, usually a few watts to around 20 W on average as the element cycles. Ten hours at an average of 10 W is 0.1 kWh, under 2 cents, which is a meaningful share of a 4 cent meal.

Yes, if its inverter can supply at least 1,000 W continuous. A pressure cooked meal uses about 250 Wh at the default, so a 1 kWh power station can cook 3 meals after inverter losses.

Use pressure mode instead of slow cook, start with warm liquid, and turn off keep-warm when you serve. Choosing pressure over an 8 hour slow cook saves roughly 0.45 to 1.25 kWh, about 8 to 22 cents a meal.