Guide
Electricity cost of a 3D print
This page is only the electricity line. The cost of one attempt is (watts ÷ 1000) × hours × your price per kWh. Type those three numbers into the calculator. Material, failed prints, and fees are in how to price a 3D print.
The formula
Watts divided by 1,000 is kilowatts. Kilowatts times hours is kilowatt-hours. Kilowatt-hours times your rate is the electricity cost of that attempt.
Arithmetic only, not a typical printer and not a typical bill. Suppose a job draws 100 W for 2 hours and the rate is $0.20 per kWh. That is 0.2 kWh and $0.04. Use the watts, the time, and the rate from your own job.
Printer efficiency is not estimated. The watts and the time are whatever you enter. PrintPrice does not keep a list of printer wattages or a typical print time.
Nameplate watts are a ceiling
A number on the power supply is a maximum the supply can deliver, not the draw of this print. A heated bed that cycles, and a hot end that is not on the whole time, are already inside a measurement. They are not inside the number printed on the supply.
A plug-in electricity meter, averaged across a real job, is closer. Read the average watts or the kilowatt-hours for that print, then use that figure. Idle heat after the job ends is part of the cost only if you include that time.
The rate on the bill
Use the price per kWh from your utility bill when you have it. If you use the starting figure in the calculator, it is the U.S. residential average from EIA Table 5.3 for August 2026: 18.16 cents per kWh. The table was released 23 October 2026. This site read it on 11 November 2026. EIA marks 2026 values as preliminary. The figure is average revenue per kWh, not the tariff on your bill. Replace it.
The field stays editable. Confirm the live rate on your bill the same way you confirm a marketplace fee in your own dashboard.
Where to put the number
On the calculator, enter printer power, print time, and the rate. The electricity line is one attempt. If some attempts fail, the extra electricity is on the waste line. That step is in the main guide, not here.
The material side of the same job is in how to calculate filament cost.
Look up a meter
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This opens an Amazon search for a plug-in electricity meter. It is not a product pick, and PrintPrice does not list a price for one.