Bambu Lab A1 mini power consumption: watts, kWh and cost

The Bambu Lab A1 mini averages 80 W while printing PLA, which is 0.08 kWh and about 1.4 cents per hour at the US average electricity price. Its maximum is 150 W, the lowest of any printer on Bambu Lab’s power table.

How much power does the Bambu Lab A1 mini use?

The Bambu Lab A1 mini averages 80 W while printing PLA and 75 W on PETG, according to Bambu Lab’s measurements. Its rated maximum is 150 W, and it idles at 6.1 to 7.3 W with Wi-Fi on. An hour of PLA printing uses 0.08 kWh, about 1.4 cents at the US average electricity price.

State	Watts	kWh per hour	Cost per hour at $0.179/kWh
Printing PLA (average)	80 W	0.08	1.4¢
Printing PETG (average)	75 W	0.075	1.3¢
Rated maximum	150 W	0.15	2.7¢
Standby, Wi-Fi on	6.1 to 7.3 W	0.006 to 0.007	0.1¢

Bambu Lab measured the PLA average over a 17 min 54 s print (0.024 to 0.025 kWh) and the PETG average over 23 min 13 s (0.028 to 0.031 kWh). It publishes no ABS figure for the A1 mini. The spec sheet lists ABS, ASA, PC and PA as “not recommended” and caps the build plate at 80 °C on a 180 × 180 × 180 mm build volume. For comparison, Bambu Lab lists the full-size A1 at 95 W on PLA.

How much does an A1 mini print cost in electricity?

A 3-hour PLA print costs about 4 cents.

kWh  = average watts × hours ÷ 1000
cost = kWh × price per kWh

80 W × 3 h ÷ 1000 = 0.24 kWh
0.24 kWh × $0.179 = $0.043

Even if the printer drew its full 150 W for all 3 hours, the print would use 0.45 kWh and cost 8 cents. Printing 3 hours a day for a month uses 7.2 kWh, about $1.29.

The $0.179 rate is the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) average residential price for the 12 months ending June 2026. Your bill may be far from it: in June 2026, state residential prices ran from about 13 cents in Nebraska to over 29 cents in New York and Massachusetts. Put your own rate and print time into the electricity cost calculator.

How much power does the A1 mini use on standby?

Bambu Lab lists 6.1 to 7.3 W with Wi-Fi connected and 6.1 to 7.0 W offline. Left on around the clock for 30 days, it uses 4.4 to 5.3 kWh, or 79 to 94 cents. A full year comes to $9.57 to $11.45.

One day of standby uses 0.15 to 0.18 kWh, more than half of what a 3-hour PLA print uses. If the printer sits idle most of the day, switch it off between jobs.

What is the A1 mini’s maximum wattage, and how many amps is that?

The A1 mini’s wattage tops out at 150 W, which is 1.25 A at 120 V:

amps = watts ÷ volts
150 W ÷ 120 V = 1.25 A

Bambu Lab’s power table gives 150 W at both 110 V and 220 V. At 110 V that is 1.36 A.

Current at the plug runs higher than watts ÷ volts because the power supply’s power factor sits below 1. Bambu Lab lists 0.6 to 0.65 while printing PLA, so the 80 W average draws about 1.0 to 1.1 A at 120 V instead of 0.67 A.

A 15 A, 120 V circuit carries 1,440 W (12 A) of continuous load under the National Electrical Code’s 80 percent rule. By rated watts, nine A1 minis fit if nothing else shares the breaker. Because of the power factor, check measured amps before you load a circuit that far. The circuit capacity calculator adds up printers and other devices on one breaker.

Does the AMS lite add to the A1 mini’s power draw?

Barely. The AMS lite, Bambu Lab’s multi-color filament feeder, takes its power from the A1 mini through a 4-pin cable and needs no outlet of its own. Bambu Lab lists 3.69 W while working and 0.96 W on standby.

A 3-hour print with the AMS lite running adds 0.011 kWh, about 0.2 cents. Its standby adds 0.69 kWh a month, about 12 cents. The AMS lite has no drying mode, so it never draws a heater load.