Electricity is the most used power source for cooking in the US

Electricity is the most common fuel used for cooking, according to the Energy Information Administration’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

The survey found that 74.9 million households – or 63 percent — use electricity for cooking. Further, 59 percent of households use the same type of fuel for cooking and heating their homes.

Also, the average cost per household for cooking with electricity was $31 per year. That is slightly lower than the $34 per year average cost for cooking with natural gas.

The highest use of electricity for cooking is in the South, where 75 percent of households use electricity for cooking. Natural gas was most popular for cooking in the Northeast and West, where 46 percent and 41 percent of households used natural gas, respectively.

Additionally, 99 percent of homes have a refrigerator, and nearly 30 percent have more than one. The most-used refrigerator in a home costs $81 per year to operate on average. Also, 32 percent of households reported having a separate freezer. They cost, on average, $69 per year to operate.

Also, EIA found that 96 percent of households have a microwave oven, and 99 percent of those households use their microwave ovens at least once a week. Microwaves average about $17 per year in electricity costs to operate each year.