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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Welder (MIG or Stick) in Texas? (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 $0.64 per hour, or about $4.80 per month at 0.25 hours a day in Texas. Average running cost

Electricity price region Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low (2,000 W)	$0.32	$0.080	$2.40	$29.20
Typical (4,000 W)	$0.64	$0.16	$4.80	$58.40
High (7,000 W)	$1.12	$0.28	$8.40	$102.20

Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.25 h/day ≈ 365 kWh per year.

In Texas, with electricity at $0.16 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical welder (mig or stick) costs $0.64 per hour and about $58.40 per year at 0.25 hours a day. That is about 11% less than the US national average of $5.40 per month, because electricity in Texas costs $0.16 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 1.6 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 ($14.02) 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

Related appliances

Use the generic electricity cost calculator →