How much electricity does a 3D printer use?

A typical FDM printer draws 100-250W during printing. The heated bed is often the largest consumer at 50-200W. A 6-hour print on a 200W printer with a 120W bed costs roughly 40-50p at UK rates of 28p/kWh.

Does the heated bed use a lot of power?

Yes, the heated bed is usually the single largest power draw. It cycles on and off to maintain temperature, typically active 70-90% of print time. PLA at 60°C uses much less than ABS at 100°C. Insulating your bed saves 20-30% energy.

What is PSU efficiency?

Power supply units convert mains electricity to DC power with some energy lost as heat. A typical 3D printer PSU is 80-90% efficient. At 85% efficiency, 100W at the wall delivers only 85W to the printer, so you use more electricity than the component ratings suggest.

How does electricity cost compare to filament cost?

For most prints, filament costs far more than electricity. A typical PLA print uses about £0.10-0.15/hour in filament versus £0.04-0.08/hour in electricity. Electricity is typically 15-30% of the material cost.

3DPrintCalcs

Electricity Cost Calculator — Power Usage for 3D Print Jobs

Calculate the electricity cost for a 3D print job including heated bed, PSU efficiency and standby draw.

Print Time

Total print duration

Printer Wattage

Hot end, motors, board etc.

Electricity Rate

Check your energy bill

Heated Bed Wattage

Typical: 80-200W

Bed Active Time

How much of the print the bed heater is on

How We Calculate This

Formula

Printer energy (kWh) = Wattage \u00D7 Hours \u00D7 (100 / PSU efficiency) / 1000
Bed energy (kWh) = Bed wattage \u00D7 Hours \u00D7 Bed time % \u00D7 (100 / PSU efficiency) / 1000
Total energy = Printer + Bed + Standby draw
Electricity cost = Total energy \u00D7 Rate per kWh

PSU efficiency accounts for power lost as heat in the power supply. Bed time % reflects that heated beds cycle rather than running continuously.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: March 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify settings with test prints before committing to final prints.