Do Espresso Machines Use a Lot of Electricity? A Small-Apartment Guide to Wattage, Standby and Monthly Cost

Quick Answer

A compact espresso machine draws a lot of power while it heats. The manufacturers of the machines in this guide list rated wattages from 1100 W to 1600 W. But a machine doesn't run at full power the whole time it's switched on, so your monthly cost depends mostly on how long the heater runs, not on how many shots you pull.

You can work out an upper bound for your own machine with one formula:

Monthly cost ≈ rated watts ÷ 1,000 × hours at full power per day × 30 days × your rate in $/kWh

As a worked example, using the US average residential rate from the EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration) for July 2026, 18.31¢ per kWh (a preliminary figure): a 1560 W Breville Bambino at full power for 10 minutes a day comes to about 7.8 kWh and about $1.43 a month. That figure is an upper-bound estimate based on rated wattage, not a measurement. Apartment Barista did not measure any machine's power use.

Evidence in this guide: Manufacturer-researched (Breville, De'Longhi and CASABREWS product pages and manuals), a public electricity rate (EIA), and forum discussion (Reddit r/espresso). Nothing here is Hands-on tested or a Measured mock-up. This is a how-to-estimate guide, not a ranking.

Apartment Barista uses Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability can change at any time and should be checked on Amazon before buying.

Who This Guide Is For

• Renters and small-kitchen beginners who own, or are about to buy, a compact home espresso machine and want to know what it adds to the electricity bill.
• People deciding whether to leave the machine on all morning or switch it on only when they make coffee.

It is less useful for large machines that take a long time to warm up, such as dual-boiler machines. Their heating patterns are different, and none of them are covered here.

What People Are Asking (Forum Discussion)

On October 26, 2023, an r/espresso member whose machine took a long time to warm up asked about leaving it on overnight: "I’m trying to see if it’s a significant amount of energy being consumed/cost for electricity to make it worth having it on overnight so I don’t need to wait for machine heat up in the morning" (Reddit, "How much energy does an espresso machine use on standby?")

On January 16, 2022, another r/espresso post asked a similar question in its title: "Should I leave my machine on overnight or put it into ‘sleep mode’ if I want to save on the electricity bill?" The body of that post has since been deleted, so only the title remains. (Reddit, "Should I leave my machine on overnight or put it into ‘sleep mode’ if I want to save on the electricity bill?")

On January 11, 2026, a third member wrote: "I just moved to a new apartment a week ago and it worked fine for the first two days. Then the next two days, at some point during the heatup, it tripped the breaker." (Reddit, "Machine trips breaker [Lelit Mara X v2]") A tripped breaker is a wiring and circuit question rather than a cost question. For that, see Espresso Machine Outlet and Cord Placement for Apartments.

These are individual posts, not measurements or search data. The machines they mention are not part of this guide.

Rated Wattage and Standby Rules (Manufacturer-Researched)

The table lists what each manufacturer publishes. "Not listed" means we did not find the figure in the manufacturer's materials. "Not obtained" means we could not confirm it.

Sources are listed at the end of this guide, with the date we checked them.

How to read rated wattage

Rated wattage is the most power the machine is designed to draw, usually while it is heating. It is not what the machine draws every minute it is switched on, because the heater doesn't run nonstop once the machine is up to temperature. What a machine draws in standby is not listed by any of these manufacturers, so we can't give a standby figure.

Breville's US manuals for the Bambino and Bambino Plus also describe a CSA "duty cycle" marking. Breville explains that the Canadian Standards Authority requires it on appliances capable of drawing over 1500W, and that it represents the maximum time the appliance will draw over 1500W during any 2-hour period of use. The number of minutes printed on the machine is not obtained.

Preheat, Standby and Auto-Off: What Matters for Your Bill

The longer a machine spends heating at full power, the more electricity it uses. That makes three things worth checking in your own manual:

1. How long it takes to heat up. Breville says the Bambino's ThermoJet heating reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds. CASABREWS's manual gives about 2 minutes for the 3700 Essential. For the Barista Express, Dedica and Stilosa, we did not obtain a heat-up time from the manufacturer.
2. Whether it switches itself to standby or off. The Bambino's US manual says it enters standby after 10 minutes with no interaction. The Barista Express manual describes sleep mode after 1 hour and auto off after 3 hours.
3. What the manual says about switching off. De'Longhi's materials for the Dedica Deluxe give conflicting auto-off times, so check the manual that came with your machine rather than relying on a product page. The Stilosa's US manual doesn't mention auto-off. It says to "Unplug from the outlet when not in use and before cleaning."

For more on the first days with a new machine, including the Bambino's standby behavior, see First Week With a New Espresso Machine in a Small Apartment: A Setup Checklist.

How to Estimate Your Own Monthly Cost

This gives an upper bound. It assumes the machine runs at its full rated wattage for the whole time you enter, which a real machine doesn't do. It is an estimate based on rated wattage, not a measurement.

Monthly cost ≈ rated watts ÷ 1,000 × hours at full power per day × 30 days × your rate in $/kWh

1. Find the rated wattage. It's on the machine's rating label, in the manual, or on the manufacturer's product page.
2. Pick a daily time at full power, in hours. Divide minutes by 60. For example, 10 minutes is 10 ÷ 60 of an hour, and 30 minutes is half an hour.
3. Find your rate. Look for the price per kWh on your electricity bill. Rates vary a lot by state and by utility. If you don't have a bill yet, the EIA's US average residential rate for July 2026 was 18.31¢ per kWh, or $0.1831, a preliminary figure.
4. Multiply it out.

Worked example (Breville Bambino, 10 minutes a day):

• 1560 W ÷ 1,000 = 1.56 kW
• 1.56 kW × (10 ÷ 60) hours × 30 days = 7.8 kWh a month
• 7.8 kWh × $0.1831 = about $1.43 a month

Here is the same formula for each machine in the table, at the EIA average rate. The 10 and 30 minutes are example inputs only, not how long any machine actually runs.

All figures are upper-bound estimates from rated wattage. To use your own rate, replace $0.1831 with the rate on your bill. If you want a real number for your machine, a plug-in electricity usage meter can measure it. We have not done that for any machine here.

Leave It On or Turn It Off?

The cost question comes down to how long the machine stays on, not how many drinks you make.

• Machines with a short heat-up, such as the Bambino by Breville's figure, don't gain much from being left on. Switching on when you're ready to make coffee keeps the time at full power short.
• Leaving a machine on for hours adds heating time each hour, even if most of it is the heater keeping water warm rather than full power. The formula above gives the upper bound for any length of time you enter.
• Check what your machine does on its own. If your manual describes a standby or auto-off mode, that limits how long it runs when you forget it. If it doesn't, switch it off at the control and, as the Stilosa's manual says, unplug it when not in use.

None of these manufacturers list standby power, so we can't tell you what leaving a machine in standby costs.

Apartment Notes: Circuits, Leases and Dorm Rules

• Power draw and circuits. The higher the rated wattage, the more it matters what else shares the circuit, such as a kettle, toaster or microwave. That is covered in Espresso Machine Outlet and Cord Placement for Apartments. We don't repeat it here.
• Your lease or housing rules. Some buildings and dorms may limit high-wattage appliances or require auto-off, so check your own rules. For dorm rules, see Best Coffee Setup for Dorm Rooms. For setups that avoid plumbing and drilling, see Renter-Friendly Espresso Setup Without Plumbing or Drilling.
• A manual option. A manual espresso maker such as the Flair Classic doesn't plug in, but you still need hot water from a kettle. We did not obtain a kettle wattage, so we don't estimate its cost. See Flair Classic for Apartments and Espresso Machine Alternatives for a Small Apartment: Moka Pot, AeroPress, Manual Lever, or Wait?

Machines in This Guide

These are examples with clear manufacturer standby or wattage details, not a ranking.

The Breville Bambino is listed at 1560 W. Breville says its ThermoJet heating reaches extraction temperature in 3 seconds, and the US manual says it enters standby after 10 minutes with no interaction. See Breville Bambino for Apartments. The Bambino Plus has the same rated wattage.

The Breville Barista Express is listed at 1600 W and includes a built-in grinder. Its US manual describes sleep mode after 1 hour and auto off after 3 hours. It is a larger appliance. See Are All-in-One Espresso Machines Too Big for a Small Kitchen? Check the Space Above, Behind, and in Front.

The De'Longhi Stilosa is listed at 1100 W. Its US manual does not mention auto-off, so plan on switching it off yourself. See De'Longhi Stilosa for Apartments.

For the Dedica Deluxe, see De'Longhi Dedica for Apartments. For the CASABREWS 3700 Essential, see CASABREWS vs Breville Bambino.

FAQ

Does an espresso machine use power in standby?

The manufacturers in this guide describe standby, sleep or auto-off modes, but none of them list standby power. We don't know the figure, and we didn't measure it.

Is it cheaper to leave the machine on or turn it on each time?

For a machine with a short heat-up, switching it on when you need it keeps the time at full power short. For any machine, the formula above lets you compare the hours you'd leave it on. Remember the result is an upper bound.

What electricity rate should I use?

The rate per kWh on your own bill. If you don't have one yet, the EIA's US average residential rate for July 2026 was 18.31¢ per kWh, a preliminary figure. Your local rate may be higher or lower.

Does a higher wattage mean a higher bill?

Only if it runs at that wattage for the same amount of time. A higher-wattage machine that heats quickly and goes into standby sooner can spend less time at full power than a lower-wattage one left on all morning.

Sources

Checked October 21, 2026.

• Breville, Bambino BES450 product page and US instruction book
• Breville, Bambino Plus BES500 product page and US instruction book
• Breville, Barista Express BES870 product page and US instruction book
• De'Longhi, Dedica Deluxe EC685M product page
• De'Longhi, Stilosa EC260BK product page and EC260 US instruction manual
• CASABREWS, 3700 Essential product page and 3700 Essential instruction manual
• U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, U.S. total residential, July 2026 (preliminary)

Bottom Line

An espresso machine's rated wattage looks high, but your bill depends on how long it runs at that power. Use the formula with your machine's rated wattage, your daily time at full power and the rate on your bill to get an upper-bound estimate. Then check your manual for standby and auto-off, and switch the machine off when you're done if it doesn't do that itself.

Apartment Barista uses Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability can change at any time and should be checked on Amazon before buying.