How Much Does It Cost to Run a Welder (MIG or Stick) in North Carolina? (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 $0.59 per hour, or about $4.42 per month at 0.25 hours a day in North Carolina. Average running cost
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 2,000 W | $0.29 | $0.074 | $2.21 | $26.90 |
| Typical 4,000 W | $0.59 | $0.15 | $4.42 | $53.80 |
| High 7,000 W | $1.03 | $0.26 | $7.74 | $94.15 |
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 North Carolina, with electricity at 14.7¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical welder (mig or stick) costs $0.59 per hour and about $53.80 per year at 0.25 hours a day. That is about 20% less than the national average for the US ($5.50 per month), because electricity in North Carolina costs 14.7¢ per kWh against 18.3¢ nationally. Each $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 ($12.91) 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
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- 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