The Real Electricity Cost of 3D Printing (Calculated)

Every 3D printing cost guide mentions electricity as a factor, but almost none of them actually measure it. So I plugged a kill-a-watt meter into three different printers and tracked actual consumption over a month of real production printing. Here's what I found.

The Short Answer

Electricity costs between $0.02 and $0.15 per print for most items. It's one of the smallest cost factors in 3D printing. If electricity is your biggest concern, you're optimizing the wrong thing.

That said, here are the real numbers.

Measured Power Consumption

Bambu Lab A1 Mini (FDM)

• Heating up: 180-220W for about 2 minutes
• Printing (PLA at 220°C): 65-90W average
• Idle between layers: 50-60W
• Average over full print: 75W

A 3-hour planter print: 75W × 3h = 225Wh = 0.225 kWh. At $0.12/kWh (US average), that's $0.027. Under three cents.

Creality K1 (FDM)

• Heating up: 300-350W (enclosed chamber heats faster)
• Printing (PLA): 80-110W
• Printing (ABS with chamber heat): 130-160W
• Average over full print (PLA): 95W

Same 3-hour print: 95W × 3h = 285Wh = $0.034.

Elegoo Saturn 3 (Resin)

• UV screen on: 25-35W
• Z-axis movement: 40-50W (brief spikes)
• Average over full print: 30W

A 3-hour resin print: 30W × 3h = 90Wh = $0.011. Resin printers use significantly less power because they only have a UV screen and a motor — no heating elements.

Monthly Cost at Scale

If you're running a printer 8 hours per day, 5 days per week:

• FDM (75W avg): 75W × 8h × 22 days = 13.2 kWh = $1.58/month
• Resin (30W avg): 30W × 8h × 22 days = 5.28 kWh = $0.63/month

Even running two printers, you're looking at $3-4/month in electricity. Compare that to $50-100/month in filament — electricity is less than 5% of your operating costs.

When Electricity Actually Matters

There are two scenarios where electricity becomes a meaningful cost:

1. You live somewhere with expensive electricity. California rates can hit $0.30-0.40/kWh. At those rates, the same 3-hour FDM print costs $0.07-0.09. Still not a lot, but it adds up if you're printing 20+ items per day.
2. You're running ABS/ASA with a heated chamber. Heated enclosures pull 400-600W continuously. A 10-hour ABS print could cost $0.50-0.70 in high-rate areas. Worth tracking.

Should You Include Electricity in Your Pricing?

Yes, but don't overthink it. A simple rule: add $0.05 per print hour to your costs. This slightly overestimates for most setups, which gives you a small buffer. If you're printing ABS in a heated chamber, bump it to $0.10 per hour.