Electricity
3D printer electricity cost: five countries, three machines, one table
Most guides say "about $0.10 per kilowatt-hour" and stop. Here is measured draw against five real tariffs.
Cost per hour of printing
Watts ÷ 1000 × price per kWh, using each printer's measured average draw while printing PLA, not the power-supply rating.
| Country, rate, checked and source | Entry FDM 125 W avg | Mid FDM 105 W avg | High-end FDM 105 W avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States 18.31 c/kWh · as of 2026-07 · eia.gov | $0.023 | $0.019 | $0.019 |
| United Kingdom 26.32 p/kWh · as of 2026-Q4 · ofgem.gov.uk | $0.044 | $0.037 | $0.037 |
| Germany 37.0 ct/kWh · as of 2026-YTD · bdew.de | $0.052 | $0.044 | $0.044 |
| Australia, NSW 33.1364 c/kWh · as of 2026-07 · originenergy.com.au | $0.029 | $0.024 | $0.024 |
| Canada, Ontario 11.2 c/kWh · as of 2026-11 · nugget.ca | $0.010 | $0.008 | $0.008 |
| Basis: watts ÷ 1000 × USD/kWh × 1 h, the wattage being the measured average draw while printing PLA. | |||
What the machine itself adds
Electricity is half of an hour's cost at most. Add the machine-hour rate — purchase price ÷ service life, plus maintenance: in 3 of the five countries it outweighs the electricity.
| Country | Entry FDM 125 W avg · +$0.0384/h machine | Mid FDM 105 W avg · +$0.0604/h machine | High-end FDM 105 W avg · +$0.0916/h machine |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States national average | $0.0613 | $0.0796 | $0.1108 |
| United Kingdom Ofgem cap | $0.0824 | $0.0974 | $0.1285 |
| Germany household average | $0.0902 | $0.1039 | $0.1351 |
| Australia, NSW Ausgrid retailer | $0.0674 | $0.0848 | $0.1160 |
| Canada, Ontario OEB tier 1 | $0.0483 | $0.0688 | $0.1000 |
| Basis: (watts ÷ 1000 × USD/kWh × 1 h) + machine-hour rate: entry $279 ÷ 8,000 h + 10% maintenance = $0.0384/h; mid $549 ÷ 10,000 h + 10% maintenance = $0.0604/h; high-end $999 ÷ 12,000 h + 10% maintenance = $0.0916/h. Rounded half-up at four decimals; wear only. Sources: Table 1, spelled out in the cost dataset. | |||
Cost for a 100 g PLA part
The 100 g part from the cost breakdown: 4.8 hours on the site's print-time model, electricity only.
| Country and rate | Entry FDM 125 W avg | Mid FDM 105 W avg | High-end FDM 105 W avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States $0.1831/kWh | $0.11 | $0.09 | $0.09 |
| United Kingdom $0.3521/kWh | $0.21 | $0.18 | $0.18 |
| Germany $0.4146/kWh | $0.25 | $0.21 | $0.21 |
| Australia, NSW $0.2323/kWh | $0.14 | $0.12 | $0.12 |
| Canada, Ontario $0.0798/kWh | $0.05 | $0.04 | $0.04 |
| Basis: Table 1 × 4.8 h. Rates as dated in Table 1. | |||
What the table shows
Country matters more than machine: $0.05 per 100 g part in Canada, Ontario, $0.25 in Germany. Electricity is still only 2.7%–13.8% of a part's cost, so the filament price is the line to attack first; a failed print wastes Table 2's machine hour (failure rates).
Electricity as a share of the part
| Country | Rate / kWh | Share of a 100 g part's cost |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $0.1831 | 6.1% |
| United Kingdom | $0.3521 | 11.7% |
| Germany | $0.4146 | 13.8% |
| Australia, NSW | $0.2323 | 7.7% |
| Canada, Ontario | $0.0798 | 2.7% |
| Basis: electricity for 4.8 h on the entry printer ÷ subtotal before failures ($1.79). Rates as Table 1, checked 2026-10-23. | ||
How to get your own number
- Measure the draw, not the label. A plug-in monitor costs less than a spool: print an hour, read the average.
- Use your marginal rate. An overnight tariff can halve a national average.
- Put both lines in the quote — the cost calculator does the arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a 3D printer use per hour?
0.125 kWh an hour on an entry-level Ender 3-class machine and 0.105 kWh on a Bambu P1S or X1C, using measured average draw while printing PLA rather than the power-supply rating. At the US average of $0.1831 per kWh that is $0.023 and $0.019 per hour.
How much does it cost to print a 100 g part in electricity?
Between $0.05 and $0.25 depending on the country, on the entry printer: $0.05 in Canada, Ontario at the cheapest rate on this page, $0.25 in Germany at the dearest. The same part uses about $1.50 of filament, so electricity is a small fraction of the cost.
Why does an Ender 3 use more power than a P1S?
Bed slingers heat an open frame, so the bed and nozzle lose heat to the room continuously; the enclosed P1S holds its chamber temperature and runs its heaters less. Rated maximum power is a different question: the P1S is rated 1000 W and the Ender 3 270 W, but average draw during a PLA print is the number that shows up on your bill.
Does an idle printer cost anything?
Yes, a little. Bambu publishes 5.8 W standby for the P1S and 9.7 W for the X1C. Left on permanently that is roughly 50–85 kWh a year, which is more than the electricity in a hundred small prints. Switch it off.