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Energy Tracking

Track power consumption from your 3D printers and calculate electricity costs per print or cumulatively.

Overview

Energy tracking helps you understand:

  • Power consumption per print
  • Electricity costs over time
  • Most efficient printers and settings
  • Total energy usage

Requirements

Energy tracking requires a smart plug with power monitoring:

Supported Smart Plugs

Brand Model Power Monitoring
Tasmota Any flashed device

Tasmota Required

Currently, only Tasmota-based smart plugs are supported. See Smart Plugs for setup.

Configuration

Setting Up Energy Tracking

  1. Configure a Tasmota smart plug for your printer
  2. Go to Settings > Smart Plugs
  3. Assign the plug to a printer
  4. Energy tracking starts automatically

Tracking Mode

Choose how energy is tracked:

Mode Description
Per Print Track energy for each individual print
Total Track cumulative energy usage

Configure in Settings > General.

Energy Data

Per-Print Tracking

When enabled, each print records:

Data Description
Energy (Wh) Watt-hours consumed
Peak Power (W) Maximum power draw
Avg Power (W) Average during print
Cost Calculated electricity cost

Archive Display

Energy data appears on archive cards:

⚡ 245 Wh • $0.04

Energy Statistics

Dashboard Widget

The Energy widget shows:

  • Total consumption for period
  • Cost breakdown by printer
  • Trend over time
  • Comparison between printers

Energy by Printer

Printer Total Energy Avg per Print Cost
Workshop X1C 15.2 kWh 380 Wh $2.28
Office P1S 8.5 kWh 425 Wh $1.28

Cost Calculation

Setting Electricity Rate

  1. Go to Settings > General
  2. Find Electricity Cost
  3. Enter your rate per kWh
  4. Choose currency

Cost Formula

Print Cost = (Energy in Wh / 1000) × Rate per kWh

Example: 

245 Wh at $0.15/kWh = 0.245 × 0.15 = $0.037

When Energy is Tracked

Energy tracking records:

Phase Tracked?
Preheating
Printing
Cooling
Idle (printer on, not printing) Depends on mode

Per-Print Mode

Only tracks during active print:

  • Starts when print begins
  • Ends when print completes
  • Includes preheating and cooling

Total Mode

Tracks all energy when printer is on:

  • Cumulative total
  • Includes idle time
  • Resets on demand

Energy Export

Export energy data:

  1. Go to Statistics
  2. Click Export
  3. Energy data included in CSV/Excel

Export includes:

  • Per-print energy consumption
  • Cost calculations
  • Printer comparison data

Energy Analysis

Efficient Settings

Compare energy usage across prints to find efficient settings:

Setting Energy Impact
Lower temps Less energy
Faster prints Less energy (shorter runtime)
PLA vs ABS ABS uses more (higher temps)
Enclosed chamber Uses more (chamber heating)

Printer Efficiency

Compare printers:

  • Some are more efficient than others
  • Consider energy when choosing which printer to use
  • Factor into total cost of ownership

Total Cost of Printing

Combine energy costs with filament costs:

Total Print Cost = Filament Cost + Electricity Cost

Example: 

Filament: 45g at $25/kg = $1.13
Electricity: 245 Wh at $0.15/kWh = $0.04
───────────────────────────────────
Total: $1.17

Tips

Accurate Rates

Use your actual electricity rate from your utility bill, including all fees and taxes.

Compare Printers

Track energy to understand which printer is most cost-effective for different jobs.

Factor in Failures

Failed prints still consume energy - another reason to optimize for reliability.

Peak Hours

If your electricity has time-of-use rates, schedule prints during off-peak hours.

Standby Power

Consider auto power-off to eliminate standby energy consumption.