3D printer electricity cost calculator: kWh and cost of one print
Pick a machine profile or enter your measured watts and get kWh, euros and CO₂ for one print and for a month. It also tells you whether printing on the night tariff is worth it.
Opens without an account 3 times a day. A free account removes the limit.
- kWh per printheating and printing apart
- 4 profilessmall, fast, large FDM and resin
- Night tariffsaved per print and per year at one print a week
- EUR/kWhreference prices you can edit
What the electricity calculator works out
The 3D printer electricity cost calculator is a free online tool from EduFacturing that works out how many kilowatt-hours a 3D print uses and what it costs: for one print, for a month and when moved to the night tariff.
Heating, printing and idling are separate figures, because the machine draws different power. The watts start from four profiles, and every field can be edited.
There is no supplier by default: prices start at 0.153 EUR/kWh on the day tariff and 0.097 EUR/kWh on the night tariff, and you enter the exact price yourself, in EUR/kWh. Everything is in euros.
One print, a month and standby
Works out one print
You get kWh for heating, for printing and in total, the cost in euros and the grams of CO₂, plus the share of electricity in the part's cost (power plus material).
Works out the month
Enter your prints per month and the hours the printer sits on without printing. You get kWh from prints and from idling, the cost, CO₂ in kg and the idle share of the energy.
Says whether the night tariff pays off
It compares a print wholly on the day tariff with one wholly on the night tariff, gives the saving per print and per year at one such print a week, and says whether the gap reaches 2.6 euro cents a print.
Shows what standby costs
How many euros a month and a year, and how many kWh a month, the printer costs just sitting switched on at the standby watts you set.
When you need the power cost of a print
One print costs cents, but a month and the idle hours add up.
Owner of a home printer
With the defaults (small FDM, 20 prints of 6 hours, 300 idle hours, 0.153 EUR/kWh) the month is 1.98 EUR, and 13.9% of the kWh is the printer idling.
Cost of a part
Electricity goes into the part cost along with material. With 1.53 EUR of material and the defaults it is 5.3% of the part's cost.
Printing at night
Move long prints to the night tariff and see whether the gap reaches 2.6 euro cents a print.
A lesson on energy and emissions
Compare small, fast and large FDM and resin by kWh and g CO₂ for the same print time.
How the electricity of a print is worked out
Energy is worked out in three parts, because the machine draws different power while heating, printing and idling, and it is multiplied by the price of electricity.
Power
The profile gives starting watts and heating minutes; each field can be overwritten with a measured value.
Energy
Heating is minutes divided by 60, printing is hours. For one print idling is 0; for the month it has its own hours field.
Cost
The average price blends day and night tariffs by the night share. Idling for the month is priced at the day tariff, on the cautious side.
Comparisons
The night tariff is compared at 0% and 100% night share. Idling counts 30 days for a month and 365 for a year.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Heating | kWh = W_heat · (min / 60) / 1000 | minutes are divided by 60 |
| Printing | kWh = W_print · hours / 1000 | one average power for the whole print |
| Cost of a print | cost = kWh · (day · (1 − n) + night · n) | n is the night share, from 0 to 1 |
| CO₂ | g = kWh · 380 | a reference for the Bulgarian mix |
| Standby for a year | kWh = W · 24 · 365 / 1000 | a month is 24 · 30 hours |
Heating, printing and standby apart
Heating, printing and standby apart
That shows the heating peak and the cost of a printer left on.
No supplier by default
The Elektrohold, EVN and Energo-Pro buttons fill in a reference, but the price stays your own field.
It says whether it is worth it
Not just what the night tariff saves, but whether the gap reaches 2.6 euro cents a print.
The tool does not measure consumption: the profiles are reference values, and it warns that the gap to a measurement is often double. A power meter between the printer and the socket gives the real figure. The UV station for resin is not included.
The prices are 2026 reference values, not an official tariff: the tool warns that network fees and excise differ by customer. Carbon is a constant 380 g/kWh, while the real value changes every hour.
Questions about power use and the night tariff
How much electricity does a 3D printer use?
For 6 hours with the small FDM defaults (90 W printing, 250 W for 4 minutes of heating) it is 0.557 kWh, or 0.09 EUR at 0.153 EUR/kWh. Fast FDM: 0.86 kWh and 0.13 EUR; large: 1.4 kWh and 0.21 EUR; resin: 0.27 kWh and 0.04 EUR.
How much does it cost to run a 3D printer that just stays on?
Ten watts around the clock is 87.6 kWh a year. With the small FDM profile (6 W) standby is 4.32 kWh and 0.66 EUR a month, and 8.04 EUR a year at 0.153 EUR/kWh.
Is it cheaper to 3D print at night?
With the defaults a 6-hour print wholly on the night tariff saves 0.03 EUR, or 1.62 EUR a year at one print a week. The tool counts it as worthwhile from 2.6 euro cents a print.
Where do I get my electricity price?
You enter it yourself. The tool asks for the price in EUR/kWh and does not convert. The buttons give a 2026 reference (day and night): Elektrohold 0.153 and 0.097, EVN 0.148 and 0.092, Energo-Pro 0.153 and 0.097 EUR/kWh. They are not an official tariff.
How much CO₂ is one 3D print?
The tool uses 380 g CO₂ per kWh for the Bulgarian mix: a print of 0.557 kWh is 212 g. The figure is a reference for comparing, not a report.
The 3D printer electricity cost calculator is free. Pro opens the rest
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens 45 Pro tools.
In the Cost & planning group:
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See how much power your print uses
Opens without an account 3 times a day. A free account removes the limit.