How Much Does It Cost to Run a Welder (MIG or Stick) in Ontario? (2026)
Welders draw heavy current while the arc is on, from 2 kW for a small MIG at low settings to 7 kW or more for a stick welder at full output. Arc-on time is a small fraction of shop time, so total energy is modest.
A typical welder (mig or stick) (4,000 W) costs C$0.60 per hour, or about C$4.49 per month at 0.25 hours a day in Ontario. Average running cost
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 2,000 W | C$0.30 | C$0.075 | C$2.24 | C$27.30 |
| Typical 4,000 W | C$0.60 | C$0.15 | C$4.49 | C$54.60 |
| High 7,000 W | C$1.05 | C$0.26 | C$7.85 | C$95.56 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.25 h/day ≈ 365 kWh per year.
One hour of a welder (mig or stick) (4.0 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 22km in an electric car
- 40hours of TV
- 89hours of a laptop
- 444hours of an LED bulb
In Ontario, with electricity at 15.0¢ per kWh (source: Hydro-Québec 2025 comparison, 2025-04), a typical welder (mig or stick) costs C$0.60 per hour and about C$54.60 per year at 0.25 hours a day. That is about 7% more than the national average for Canada (C$4.20 per month), because electricity in Ontario costs 15.0¢ per kWh against 14.0¢ nationally. Each C$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 1.7 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a welder (mig or stick)
- Turn the welder off between jobs. Transformer welders draw 10 to 30 watts idle.
- Use the lowest amperage that gives good penetration.
- Inverter welders are 20 to 30 percent more efficient than transformer types.
In standby it draws about 10 W, which adds roughly 88 kWh (C$13.10) per year if it is never unplugged.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a welder use per hour of welding?
About 4 kWh per hour of actual arc time on a typical machine. Real sessions have far less arc time.
Do welders use power when idle?
Transformer welders draw 10 to 30 watts idle; inverters use less.
Is a 240 V welder more expensive to run?
No. Voltage affects available power, not efficiency.
Cost by region
US states
- Alabama
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- California
- Colorado
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- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
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- Kentucky
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- Maine
- Maryland
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- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
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- Ohio
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- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Canadian provinces
Related appliances
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz