Calculators
3D printer electricity cost calculator
Power is usually the smallest part of a print's cost. Here is how to put a real number on it.
Result
This print
…
… kWh used
- Per hour of printing…
- Per month at your daily hours…
- Per year at your daily hours…
How it is calculated
kWh used = (average watts ÷ 1000) × hours cost = kWh used × price per kWh month = cost per hour × hours per day × 30
Why not use the wattage on the spec sheet? That figure is the most the power supply can deliver, reached for a few minutes while the bed and nozzle heat up. Once at temperature the heaters cycle on and off. Spec-sheet watts would overstate your cost several times over. A plug-in energy meter costs little and gives you the true average: run a typical print, read the kWh, divide by the hours. Hotter beds and enclosed chambers (ABS, ASA, nylon) draw more than PLA.
Tariffs used
| Region | Price | Applies to | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 26.32 pence per kWh | 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026 | ofgem.gov.uk | 2026-09-20 |
| US average residential | 18.34 cents per kWh | June 2026 | eia.gov | 2026-09-20 |
| EU-27 average household | 0.2896 EUR per kWh | second half of 2025 (July-December 2025) | ec.europa.eu | 2026-09-20 |
Related: full print cost calculator, which adds filament, printer wear and your time.