3D Printer Power Consumption: How Many kWh per Hour? (Table)
A 3D printer's electricity cost is small on short prints, but on long and frequent prints it becomes a line item. This page covers what drives consumption and gathers typical values for popular printers.
The formula
kWh = watts ÷ 1000 × hours
Cost = kWh × price per kWh
Example: a 10-hour print at 110 W average is 1.1 kWh. At $0.15 per kWh that costs $0.165.
Typical consumption of popular printers
| Printer | Avg. draw | kWh per hour | Cost per hour ($0.150/kWh) | 10-hour print |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab A1 mini | 65 W | 0.065 | $0.010 | $0.098 |
| Bambu Lab A1 | 95 W | 0.095 | $0.014 | $0.143 |
| Bambu Lab P1S | 110 W | 0.11 | $0.017 | $0.165 |
| Creality Ender-3 V3 SE | 100 W | 0.1 | $0.015 | $0.150 |
| Prusa MK4 / MK4S | 100 W | 0.1 | $0.015 | $0.150 |
| Creality K1 Max | 190 W | 0.19 | $0.028 | $0.285 |
| Voron 2.4 (300 mm) | 210 W | 0.21 | $0.032 | $0.315 |
For the full list of models see the printer power table; each printer's page also has hourly and monthly cost figures.
What drives consumption?
- Bed heating: The heated bed draws the most energy. A 50–60 °C bed for PLA versus around 100 °C for ABS makes a difference.
- Enclosure: It keeps heat inside so the heaters work less, though the enclosure may have its own fans and heater.
- Nozzle temperature and speed: The hotend works harder at high flow rates.
- Room temperature: In a cold room the heaters cycle more often.
- Warm-up: Consumption is high while the bed and nozzle reach temperature; on short prints that is a large share of the total.
A monthly cost example
With a 110 W average printer running 8 hours a day for 30 days: 0.11 kW × 8 hours × 30 days = 26.4 kWh. At $0.15 per kWh the monthly electricity is about $3.96. In a workshop running printers nonstop this multiplies.
Ways to reduce it
- Do not keep the bed hotter than needed; 55–60 °C is often enough for PLA.
- Turn the printer off after printing; idle draw is small but adds up over a year.
- Print in batches: several parts on one plate spread the warm-up over the parts.
- For materials that do not need an enclosure, leave the doors open to avoid pointless heating.
- Measure your printer's real draw with a watt meter and enter it in the calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many kWh does a 3D printer use per hour?
It depends on the model, but average printing draw on most desktop printers is between 60 and 250 W. At 110 W average that is 0.11 kWh per hour. Example: at $0.15 per kWh that is about $0.017 per hour.
Is the wattage on the printer label the real power draw?
No. The label (power supply) rating is the maximum allowed power. Because of heating cycles and idle moments the real average is often half of it or less.
How do I measure the real consumption?
Plug the printer into a watt meter (energy monitor), read the total kWh over one print, and divide by the print hours to get the average watts. You can enter that in the "Average power draw" field in Filanomy.
Calculate for your own part: upload your file and weight and time fill in automatically.
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