Electricity Cost per 3D Print: How to Work It Out

Electricity is a small part of what a print costs, but it is easy to work out properly. You need three numbers: the printer's average power in watts, how long the print runs, and what you pay per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This guide shows the formula, uses power figures the printer makers publish, and explains how to measure your own. It is research-based and uses published specifications; it is not a measurement of any particular printer by us.

The formula

Electricity is billed in kWh: one kilowatt (1,000 watts) used for one hour.

1. Convert watts to kilowatts: kW = watts / 1,000.
2. Find the energy used: kWh = kW x hours.
3. Multiply by your rate: cost = kWh x price per kWh.

In one line: cost = (watts / 1,000) x hours x price per kWh. Use your slicer's estimated print time for the hours. If you add the printer's standby draw when idle, count that separately.

What power figures do makers publish?

Makers rarely publish a typical draw. What they do publish falls into two kinds, and mixing them up is the most common mistake.

The Prusa figures are listed on the product page as power consumption for PLA and ABS settings, which differ because bed and nozzle temperatures differ. The Bambu Lab specification sheet lists a maximum power, not an average. The Saturn 4 Ultra figure is the rated input of its power supply (24 V multiplied by 6 A), so a real print should draw less most of the time. These are specification numbers, not measurements from our own testing.

Worked examples

The examples use 18 cents per kWh, a round number close to the US residential average of 18.31 cents per kWh that the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported for July 2026 in its Electric Power Monthly (preliminary estimate, released September 24, 2026). Use your own rate instead. The same formula works in any currency.

Worked through for the 10-hour PLA case: 80 W / 1,000 = 0.08 kW; 0.08 x 10 = 0.8 kWh; 0.8 x $0.18 = $0.144, about 14 cents. For the ABS case: 120 / 1,000 = 0.12 kW; 0.12 x 10 = 1.2 kWh; 1.2 x $0.18 = $0.216, about 22 cents.

Even as an upper bound the numbers stay small. The Bambu Lab A1 sheet lists 350 W maximum at 110 V. If a print somehow ran at that maximum for 10 hours, the energy would be 3.5 kWh, or $0.63 at 18 cents, and real prints sit well below the maximum. The resin example is similar: the Saturn 4 Ultra's 144 W supply rating over a 6-hour print would be at most 0.864 kWh, or about 16 cents at 18 cents per kWh.

What rate should you use?

Use the unit rate on your own bill, excluding the daily standing charge, since that charge does not change with printing. Tariffs vary by country, region and supplier, and time-of-use plans charge different rates at different hours, which can matter for long prints. EIA data shows how wide the spread can be: in July 2026 residential prices ranged from 13.41 cents per kWh in North Dakota to 48.00 cents in Hawaii. In the UK, find your rate in pence per kWh on your bill or supplier app; the formula is identical and the result is in pounds. We do not quote a UK rate here because it changes and depends on your plan.

How to measure your actual draw

1. Plug the printer into a plug-in energy meter (check it is rated for your printer's maximum load).
2. Reset the meter, start a typical print and note the kWh at the end.
3. Divide kWh by print hours and multiply by 1,000 to get average watts, or simply multiply the kWh by your rate for the actual cost.
4. Repeat for different materials. Heated beds, enclosures and chamber heaters change the draw, and ABS-style settings use more than PLA settings.

Other things that change the cost

• Preheat and cooldown. Warm-up time is energy too, and it is a larger share of a short print.
• Enclosure and chamber heating. If your printer has an active chamber heater, include it.
• Idle and standby draw. Leaving a printer on overnight adds up slowly. A smart plug with energy monitoring will show it.
• Dryers, wash stations and curing lights. Filament dryers and resin wash and cure units draw power too. See how to dry filament.

Putting it in context

For most home printers, electricity is a minor share of the cost of a print compared with filament or resin and the printer itself. Our 3D printer running costs article looks at the whole picture, and how much a 3D printer costs covers the purchase side. To add your own numbers, use the print cost calculator. If you are curious how much plastic is behind each print, see how much filament costs.