💻 Computers & Office
How Much Does a Printer Cost to Run?
At the current U.S. average rate of 18.8¢/kWh (April 2026), a printer costs about $0.44 per month at typical usage — 0.2 hours/day.
Per hour
0.6¢
at 10–600 W
Per day
1.5¢
0.2 hours/day
Per month
$0.44
2.4 kWh
Per year
$5.31
28 kWh
Inkjets sip power, while laser printers spike to several hundred watts during fusing — but only for seconds per page. For home volumes, standby draw over weeks typically exceeds the printing itself.
Calculate it for your home
Per hour
0.6¢
Per day
0.1¢
Per month
3.4¢
Per year
$0.41
Uses 0.2 kWh/month at 18.8¢ per kWh.
Cheapest and most expensive states
Monthly cost at typical usage, using each state's current average residential rate.
Cost in every state
| State | Rate (¢/kWh) | Per hour | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 12.4 | 0.4¢ | $0.29 | $3.50 |
| Idaho | 12.7 | 0.4¢ | $0.30 | $3.59 |
| Nebraska | 13.3 | 0.4¢ | $0.31 | $3.76 |
| Oklahoma | 13.3 | 0.4¢ | $0.31 | $3.76 |
| Utah | 13.3 | 0.4¢ | $0.31 | $3.76 |
| Iowa | 13.9 | 0.4¢ | $0.33 | $3.93 |
| Montana | 13.9 | 0.4¢ | $0.33 | $3.93 |
| Missouri | 14.0 | 0.4¢ | $0.33 | $3.96 |
| Arkansas | 14.2 | 0.4¢ | $0.33 | $4.01 |
| Nevada | 14.3 | 0.4¢ | $0.34 | $4.04 |
| Louisiana | 14.4 | 0.4¢ | $0.34 | $4.07 |
| Washington | 14.4 | 0.4¢ | $0.34 | $4.07 |
| South Dakota | 14.5 | 0.4¢ | $0.34 | $4.10 |
| Wyoming | 14.7 | 0.4¢ | $0.35 | $4.15 |
| Tennessee | 14.9 | 0.4¢ | $0.35 | $4.21 |
| Kentucky | 15.0 | 0.4¢ | $0.35 | $4.24 |
| New Mexico | 15.2 | 0.5¢ | $0.36 | $4.29 |
| Florida | 15.4 | 0.5¢ | $0.36 | $4.35 |
| Georgia | 15.4 | 0.5¢ | $0.36 | $4.35 |
| Arizona | 15.5 | 0.5¢ | $0.36 | $4.38 |
| Kansas | 15.8 | 0.5¢ | $0.37 | $4.46 |
| Oregon | 15.8 | 0.5¢ | $0.37 | $4.46 |
| West Virginia | 16.1 | 0.5¢ | $0.38 | $4.55 |
| North Carolina | 16.3 | 0.5¢ | $0.38 | $4.60 |
| Minnesota | 16.4 | 0.5¢ | $0.39 | $4.63 |
| Colorado | 16.5 | 0.5¢ | $0.39 | $4.66 |
| Mississippi | 16.8 | 0.5¢ | $0.40 | $4.75 |
| Texas | 17.0 | 0.5¢ | $0.40 | $4.80 |
| South Carolina | 17.1 | 0.5¢ | $0.40 | $4.83 |
| Alabama | 17.4 | 0.5¢ | $0.41 | $4.92 |
| Virginia | 17.4 | 0.5¢ | $0.41 | $4.92 |
| Indiana | 17.9 | 0.5¢ | $0.42 | $5.06 |
| Delaware | 18.8 | 0.6¢ | $0.44 | $5.31 |
| Wisconsin | 19.2 | 0.6¢ | $0.45 | $5.42 |
| Ohio | 19.5 | 0.6¢ | $0.46 | $5.51 |
| Illinois | 20.5 | 0.6¢ | $0.48 | $5.79 |
| Michigan | 21.4 | 0.6¢ | $0.50 | $6.05 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.5 | 0.6¢ | $0.51 | $6.07 |
| Maryland | 22.1 | 0.7¢ | $0.52 | $6.24 |
| New Jersey | 23.5 | 0.7¢ | $0.55 | $6.64 |
| Vermont | 24.6 | 0.7¢ | $0.58 | $6.95 |
| Washington, D.C. | 25.4 | 0.8¢ | $0.60 | $7.18 |
| New Hampshire | 27.2 | 0.8¢ | $0.64 | $7.68 |
| Alaska | 27.4 | 0.8¢ | $0.64 | $7.74 |
| Rhode Island | 28.3 | 0.8¢ | $0.67 | $8.00 |
| Maine | 28.4 | 0.9¢ | $0.67 | $8.02 |
| Massachusetts | 29.5 | 0.9¢ | $0.69 | $8.33 |
| New York | 29.5 | 0.9¢ | $0.69 | $8.33 |
| Connecticut | 32.2 | 1.0¢ | $0.76 | $9.10 |
| California | 35.3 | 1.1¢ | $0.83 | $9.97 |
| Hawaii | 46.6 | 1.4¢ | $1.10 | $13.16 |
How to lower the cost
- Enable sleep after 15–20 minutes of idle — modern machines wake in seconds.
- Anything always-on (servers, mining, chargers on strips) deserves a smart plug and a schedule.
- Laptops do the same office work as desktops on a quarter of the power.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a printer use?
A typical printer draws about 30 watts in use. At 0.2 hours/day, that works out to roughly 0.0 kWh per day, or 2.4 kWh per month.
How much does it cost to run a printer for 1 hour?
At the current U.S. average residential rate of 18.8¢/kWh, one hour costs about 0.6¢. In North Dakota (12.4¢/kWh) it's 0.4¢, while in Hawaii (46.6¢/kWh) it's 1.4¢.
How much does a printer cost to run per month?
With typical usage (0.2 hours/day), expect about $0.44 per month at the U.S. average rate — from $0.29 in North Dakota up to $1.10 in Hawaii. Rates are as of April 2026.
Does a printer use a lot of electricity?
Not really — at typical usage it's under 1% of an average home's monthly consumption. Heating, cooling, hot water, and drying are the loads that move bills.