Households reliant on oven cooking could save up to £604 per year by switching to a more energy efficient cooking methods, according to new research by energy supplier Utilita. Joining together with frozen food specialist Iceland, the pair are embarking on a first of its kind partnership, that aims to help those struggling with the rising cost of living, by offering practical solutions and advice on how to save money.

As the UK anticipates one of the most expensive winters in its history, Utilita and Iceland’s ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’ collaboration will officially launch in early September to help families better understand the cost of cooking, and to help identify the most economical cooking methods available to them to make budgets stretch further.

As part of the joint campaign, both brands have committed to 11 pro-consumer, pro-planet pledges in total, which includes a massive overhaul of Iceland’s own-product packaging to reflect more energy efficient cooking appliances and methods, and a national ‘Cooking High 5’ consumer awareness tour, facilitated by Utilita outside Iceland stores.

The launch will also see the introduction of both brands selling the best value 4.5l air fryer on the market from Tower Housewares retailing at the discounted price of £35, enabling consumers to make their investment back in around 47 days of avoiding the oven. Air fryers will be sold at Iceland stores nationwide and online at www.iceland.co.uk, and at Utilita’s High Street Energy Hubs.

Changing Cooking Behaviour
The research presents the cost to cook, per minute for each of the main types of cooking appliance. It also explores a range of common cooking methods and offers recommendations on how to change their behaviour to save. Households spend approximately 43 minutes cooking each day and almost half (42%) admit to using the oven by default for the main part of their cooking needs. More than half of UK households admitted to not knowing which of their cooking appliances cost more to run (52%).

Utilita’s in-depth research presents a list of the main seven types of cooking appliances, starting with the most energy intensive – the electric cooker – and finishing up with the most economical to run – the microwave. In anticipation of the list becoming every household’s go-to cooking calculator, the research has been based on the energy consumption of 92 appliances across 24 sources, including academic research, legislation, and data collected from popular shopping websites.[1]
The ‘Shop Smart, Cook Savvy’ research reveals how the cost of cooking can be cut by up to 60-90%[2], enabling households to save hundreds of pounds each year. The research also highlights the wider environmental impact of households’ cooking behaviours, revealing that oven default households could avoid generating the same amount of carbon emissions generated by driving 1,164 miles in the average car.