How much electricity does a 3D printer use?

Electricity use depends on your printer, bed and nozzle temperatures, and how long the job runs. A heater can draw more power during warm-up than it does while maintaining temperature. Measure a full job with a plug-in energy meter for a better estimate.

kWh = average watts × print hours ÷ 1,000

Electricity cost = kWh × your price per kWh

Example for one plate and a month of printing

A printer averaging 120 W for 4 hours and 30 minutes uses 0.54 kWh. At $0.16 per kWh, that’s about $0.09 per job. Twenty equivalent jobs use 10.8 kWh and cost $1.73. The monthly estimate uses the unrounded per-job cost.

Common questions

Can I use the wattage on the printer’s label?

A rating is useful for understanding the unit’s power requirement. Use a full-job average to estimate a bill. If the meter reports total kWh, you can multiply that directly by your rate.

What electricity rate should I enter?

Use the applicable per-kWh rate on your utility bill, including per-kWh delivery charges if they apply. Use the rate for the hours you actually print if your utility has time-of-use pricing.

How do I account for a dryer or enclosure heater?

Add their measured energy to the printer’s energy for the job, or estimate each device separately if it runs for a different length of time.

References