Electric ovens use large amounts of electricity; below, I will tell you exactly how many amps.
On average, an electric oven can use 20 to 60 amps of electricity. The specific amount of amps depends on the electric oven’s size and model. The exact amp value is written on the circuit parameters label or the user’s manual. However, you’ll have to calculate the amp value if it’s not indicated on the label.
Continue below to learn more about amps ratings and how to compute it.
Average Amps Rating of Electric Ovens
Electric ovens generally use 20 to 60 amps.
The specific amp value depends on the size, amount of burners, and power requirements (in watts) of the oven. The two most common electric ovens are standard single-door and microwave ovens.
- Standard electric ovens consume an average of 1,800 to 5,000 watts with an amps rating of 21 amps.
- Microwave ovens consume an average of 800 to 2,000 watts with an amps rating of 10 amps.
Note that these measurements are the average amps rating of electric ovens in the United States. The exact amps rating of your electric oven depends on its voltage and wattage requirement. You’ll need a simple calculation to get the exact measurement of amps. In general, devices requiring more power need more current to operate.
What is an Amp Rating?
Amps rating refers to the amount of current flowing through the dedicated circuit of an appliance.
Three parameters are used to measure the required power supply for an appliance: voltage, power, and current. Although we’re more focused on current (amps), it’s also important to understand how these three work together.
- Voltage is the pressure or strength needed to push electricity flow in a circuit breaker.
- Current (amps or amperes) is the electric current drawn from an outlet or power source.
- Power (wattage) is the electricity needed to power and operate an appliance.
The Amps rating tells you the maximum amount of electricity it will draw from an outlet during operation.
Electric ovens are energy-intensive appliances. Depending on the size and model, they can draw an average of 20 to 60 amps of electricity. Connecting the oven to the appropriate outlet is important to avoid problems with its amp circuit.
Improperly connecting the oven to a power outlet can cause several problems:
- The oven will not work due to lack of power.
- The oven will draw too much current from the outlet, potentially causing the amp breaker to overload.
- It is an electric and fire hazard due to the risk of overloading.
By consulting the manual, you can determine the exact amount of amps needed by your electric oven. These also come with installation requirements and recommendations that you can follow. However, if it’s not written in the manual, or you don’t have one, you’ll have to compute the amp rating of your electric oven.
How to Calculate the Amps Rating of Your Electric Oven
All electrical appliances have a label containing information on circuit breaker parameters.
For electric ovens, you’ll typically find this label on the back near the power terminals (where the power cord is). This label contains information on the oven’s wattage, amps, and voltage requirements. However, most labels only contain the wattage and voltage values, so you’ll have to calculate the amps rating.
Calculating the amps rating of any electrical appliance is a one-step process.
The first thing you should do is find the device’s total watts and volts value. As said earlier, you can find these on the label or in the user manual. You must divide the wattage by the voltage to get the amps value.
Watts/Voltrage = Amperes
For example, an electric stove has a wattage of 2,400 and a voltage of 240. The amps are calculated as 2,400 divided by 240, equal to 20 amps (2400/240 = 20). The resulting value is the average amps rating of your electric stove. You’ll need to use an outlet capable of supplying 20 amps to the amp breaker of your electric stove.
What the Amps Rating Tells You
The amps rating is the expected amount of current drawn by an appliance.
We say “expected” because this number may not be perfectly accurate. The amps rating does not consider factors like the appliance’s age, the condition of the dedicated circuit, and its functions. This results in minor differences between your expected electricity usage and the total indicated in electricity bills.
If that’s the case, then why is it important to find the amps rating of your device?
As we said, matching the amps requirement and the outlet’s power capacity is important. Another reason is that the amps rating reflects the amount of amps value consumed if your device is in perfect working condition. You’ll be able to tell if there’s something wrong with the appliance if the amps rating and actual consumption don’t match up.
This doesn’t only apply to electric ovens. The amps rating is also used for other appliances like air conditioner refrigerators and air range hoods.
Factors that Affect the Amps Requirement of Electric Ovens
The main factors that affect the amps requirement of an electric oven are:
- Size of the oven
- Type of heating system used by the oven
- How frequently the oven is used
Larger ovens need stronger heating systems to reach high temperatures. It generally requires more burners to build up heat and maintain it. Electric ovens are already energy-intensive appliances, so expect larger models to consume more electricity than usual.
Another important factor is the energy efficiency rating of the oven.
The efficiency rating refers to the amount of power lost. At the same time, electricity is drawn from the outlet into the appliance’s amp circuit breaker. All appliances like air conditioning electric and electric stoves must have an efficient rating before they are sold to consumers. [1]
A standard single oven has an energy efficiency of 12%.
This number is incredibly low compared to the air fryer efficiency of 60%. Electric ovens may require more amps since most of the current they receive from an outlet is lost as heat.
Take a look at some of our related articles below.
- Do electric ovens need to be vented
- How many outlets on a 15 amp breaker
- What gauge wire for 2000 watt amp
Reference
[1] Efficiency Ratings Explained – One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning – www.onehourheatandair.com/pittsburgh/about-us/blog/2021/july/efficiency-ratings-explained/
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