A desktop 3D printer uses about as much electricity as a desktop PC: 50–150 W while printing PLA, more for enclosed machines running ABS or PC. A 10-hour print is roughly 1 kWh — about $0.17 in the US, £0.26 in the UK, €0.38 in Germany, A$0.33 in Australia.
Why the number on the power supply is wrong
An Ender 3 ships with a 350 W supply, and a Bambu P1S or X1 Carbon peaks near 350 W too. Those are peaks for heating the bed from cold. Once at temperature the bed cycles on and off and the average falls to a third or less. Measured with a plug meter:
| Printer | Idle | Average printing PLA | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bambu Lab A1 mini | 7 W | ~80 W | 150 W |
| Bambu Lab P1S | 6 W | ~105 W | 350 W |
| Bambu Lab X1 Carbon | 9 W | ~105 W PLA, ~150 W ABS | 350 W |
| Creality Ender 3 V3 SE | 8 W | ~110 W | 300 W |
| Prusa MK4S | 13 W | ~95 W | 240 W |
The full table with sources is on the printers page; each printer has its own page with a calculator pre-set to its wattage.
What drives consumption
- Bed temperature. The bed is 60–70% of the draw. PLA at 60 °C is cheap; ABS at 100 °C on a big bed is not.
- Bed size. A 350 mm bed has about 2.5× the area of a 220 mm bed and heats accordingly.
- Enclosure and chamber heating. The H2D’s active chamber heater can add 100–200 W.
- Ambient temperature. A cold garage in winter can raise the average by 20–30%.
Monthly cost for typical use
Printing 6 hours a day on a 100 W machine is 18 kWh a month: about $3 in the US, £4.70 in the UK, €7 in Germany. Even a small print farm of five enclosed printers running 20 hours a day is roughly 540 kWh — $90 a month at US rates. Filament will cost far more than the electricity.
Use the electricity cost calculator with your own tariff; it includes standby draw, which adds up when a printer is left on all month.