How much does it cost to run a home printer? (2026 price cap)
At the GB-average Ofgem price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026, a home printer rated at 25W costs 0.7p an hour to run and around 40p a year assuming 1 print session a day, about 10 minutes.
Per hour
0.7p
Per typical use
0.1p
Per day
0.1p
Per week
0.8p
Per year
40p
Typical rating and how we worked this out
This page uses a typical rating of 25W for a home printer; published figures for this appliance range from 20W to 150W. A home inkjet printer draws very little power sitting idle or in standby (around 20–30W) but can briefly draw considerably more during active printing, especially on a multifunction unit with a scanner. The running cost follows the same formula used across this site: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × unit rate. Typical use is modelled as 1 print session a day, about 10 minutes, which is how the per-day, per-week and per-year figures above were calculated — see the cost-to-run calculator to change the wattage, hours or region yourself.
Rate used: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, GB average electricity — 26.32p/kWh (excl. VAT, removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027).
Cost by region
Same appliance, same use — ranked most to least expensive by region under the price cap:
| Region | Elec p/kWh | Cost per hour | Typical annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86 | 0.7p | 42p |
| South Eastern England | 26.88 | 0.7p | 41p |
| Eastern England | 26.61 | 0.7p | 40p |
| London | 26.60 | 0.7p | 40p |
| South Western England | 26.58 | 0.7p | 40p |
| Southern Wales | 26.55 | 0.7p | 40p |
| North Western England | 26.49 | 0.7p | 40p |
| Southern England | 26.47 | 0.7p | 40p |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35 | 0.7p | 40p |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11 | 0.7p | 40p |
| West Midlands | 25.60 | 0.6p | 39p |
| Yorkshire | 25.60 | 0.6p | 39p |
| North Eastern England | 25.46 | 0.6p | 39p |
| East Midlands | 25.36 | 0.6p | 39p |
| Great Britain average | 26.32 | 0.7p | 40p |
East Midlands is cheapest at 39p a year; Merseyside and Northern Wales is most expensive at 42p a year — a gap of 3.8p for identical use.
How a home printer compares with similar appliances
Ranked by typical annual cost in entertainment & office, GB average:
- home printer — 40p a year (this page)
- smart speaker — £2.88 a year
- computer monitor — £17.29 a year
- broadband router — £18.45 a year
- laptop — £19.21 a year
- 43-inch LED TV — £28.82 a year
Three practical ways to cut the cost
- Switch off at the wall between print jobs rather than leaving it on permanent standby for days between uses
- Use draft/eco print mode for everyday documents rather than best quality
- Batch print jobs together rather than warming the printer up multiple times a day
FAQs
- How much does it cost to run a home printer for an hour?
- 0.7p at the GB-average rate (26.32p/kWh, 25W). One typical use — 1 print session a day, about 10 minutes — costs closer to 0.1p.
- How much does a home printer cost to run per year?
- Around 40p a year at the GB-average rate, assuming 1 print session a day, about 10 minutes — about 0.8p a week.
- Which UK region is cheapest to run a home printer in?
- East Midlands, at 39p a year, against 42p in Merseyside and Northern Wales — 3.8p apart for identical use, purely from the regional rate.
- Does the exact wattage of my home printer change the cost much?
- Yes — ratings range 20W–150W, so the top of that range costs about 7.5x the bottom. This page uses 25W; check your own rating plate.
- Does the October 2026 price cap affect this figure?
- Yes — figures use the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Electricity excludes VAT (removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027); gas includes 5%. See the price cap page for the full breakdown.
Sources
- Daftlogic — power consumption of typical household appliances — wattage and usage figures for this appliance.
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (regional tables, read 12 September 2026).
Related
- Cost-to-run calculator and full A–Z — check any appliance or enter a custom wattage.
- Energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 — every region, every payment method.
- Back-billing calculator — if a bill for this or any appliance looks like it covers too many months.
- Free bill audit — if your overall energy costs look high regardless of any one appliance.
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