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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Espresso Machine in California? (2026)

Espresso machines heat water to pressure and keep a boiler hot, so the real cost depends on how long the machine stays on. A home machine left on all day can use more than a fridge.

A typical espresso machine (1,400 W) costs $0.49 per hour, or about $14.70 per month at 1 hours a day in California. Average running cost

Electricity price region Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low (1,000 W)	$0.35	$0.35	$10.50	$127.75
Typical (1,400 W)	$0.49	$0.49	$14.70	$178.85
High (2,000 W)	$0.70	$0.70	$21.00	$255.50

Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 1 h/day ≈ 511 kWh per year.

In California, with electricity at $0.35 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical espresso machine costs $0.49 per hour and about $178.85 per year at 1 hours a day. That is about 94% more than the US national average of $7.56 per month, because electricity in California costs $0.35 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 2.0 hours of use.

How to lower the cost of running a espresso machine

Switch it off between sessions, or use the auto-off timer.
Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes, not an hour. Modern thermoblock machines need only a minute.
Descale on schedule to keep the boiler efficient.

In standby it draws about 3 W, which adds roughly 26 kWh ($9.20) per year if it is never unplugged.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an espresso machine cost to run per day?

An hour on per day uses about 0.3 to 0.5 kWh after warm-up. Left on for 8 hours it can use 1 to 2 kWh.

Do espresso machines use a lot of electricity?

Only while heating. Once at temperature they cycle a few hundred watts to hold it.

Is a thermoblock machine cheaper to run than a boiler machine?

Yes. It heats on demand and has almost no standby heat loss.

Cost by region

Related appliances

Use the generic electricity cost calculator →