Bambu Lab A1 power consumption: watts, kWh and cost

The Bambu Lab A1 averages about 95 W while printing PLA, so it uses 0.095 kWh an hour. At the US average price of $0.179 per kWh, that comes to 1.7 cents an hour, and a 4-hour PLA print costs about 7 cents in electricity.

How much power does the Bambu Lab A1 use?

The Bambu Lab A1 averages about 95 W while printing PLA, according to Bambu Lab’s own measurements. That rises to 150 W on PC and 200 W on ABS. Its rated maximum is 350 W on a 110 V supply, and it draws 4.1 to 5.4 W on standby with Wi-Fi connected.

Bambu Lab’s wiki gives each average from a test print of 17 to 19 minutes:

Material	Average power	Bambu’s test print	Energy per hour	Cost per hour at $0.179/kWh
PLA	95 W	0.025 to 0.028 kWh in 16 min 58 s	0.095 kWh	1.7¢
PC	150 W	0.043 to 0.053 kWh in 18 min 34 s	0.15 kWh	2.7¢
ABS	200 W	0.058 to 0.068 kWh in 18 min 35 s	0.20 kWh	3.6¢

Most of the gap is the heated bed, which runs far hotter for ABS than for PLA. Bambu Lab’s A1 spec sheet rates ABS and PC “Not Recommended” and PLA, PETG, TPU and PVA “Ideal”. For most owners the PLA row is the one that matters. Bambu Lab publishes no PETG figure for the A1.

Bambu Lab A1 wattage: maximum and standby

The A1 is rated at a maximum of 350 W on 110 V and 1,300 W on 220 V. Its input is 100 to 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz.

State	Watts	Source
Standby, no network	4 to 5.4 W	Bambu Lab Wiki
Standby, Wi-Fi connected	4.1 to 5.4 W	Bambu Lab Wiki
Printing PLA, average	95 W	Bambu Lab Wiki
Maximum, 110 V supply	350 W	A1 spec sheet
Maximum, 220 V supply	1,300 W	A1 spec sheet

How many amps does the A1 draw on 120 V?

At its 350 W maximum the A1 draws about 2.9 A on a 120 V outlet (350 ÷ 120), or 3.2 A at the 110 V the rating assumes. A print running 3 hours or more is a continuous load under the National Electrical Code (NEC), so a 15 A circuit should carry no more than 12 A. One A1 uses about a quarter of that limit, which leaves room for other printers or devices on the same breaker. To check a whole setup, add everything that shares the breaker in the circuit capacity calculator.

The wiki lists a power factor of 0.41 to 0.64 during printing. Because of that, a plug meter that shows amps or volt-amperes will read higher than watts ÷ volts. Your bill is based on the watts reading.

Does the A1 Combo use more power?

Only slightly. The A1 Combo is the A1 plus the AMS lite filament changer. Bambu Lab measures the AMS lite at 3.69 W while working and 0.96 W on standby. With the AMS lite working throughout a PLA print, the Combo averages about 99 W instead of 95 W. That adds 0.37 kWh per 100 hours of printing, about 7 cents.

How much electricity does the A1 use, and what does it cost?

Multiply the average watts by the hours, divide by 1,000 to get kWh, then multiply by your price per kWh:

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

A 4-hour PLA print on the A1:

kWh  = 95 × 4 ÷ 1000 = 0.38 kWh
cost = 0.38 × $0.179 = $0.068

The same print on the A1 Combo uses 98.69 × 4 ÷ 1000 = 0.39 kWh, about $0.071. On ABS the A1 uses 0.8 kWh in 4 hours, about 14 cents.

The $0.179 is the US Energy Information Administration’s average residential price for the 12 months ending June 2026. Your own rate may be well above or below it, so use the price on your bill, including delivery charges. The electricity cost calculator runs the same math with your rate, print time and print count.

What standby costs if you leave it on

Left on all month with Wi-Fi connected, the A1 uses 2.95 to 3.89 kWh in 30 days, or 53 to 70 cents. With the AMS lite on standby too, that rises to 3.64 to 4.58 kWh, about 65 to 82 cents a month. Switching the printer off between jobs saves less than a dollar a month.