Photocopier Energy Cost Calculator (2026 UK)
Electricity is the running cost nobody quotes you. Lease, clicks and paper are all on the paperwork, but the power your copier uses lands on the energy bill instead. For a single modern machine it's usually modest. For an office with an older copier and a handful of desktop printers left on all week, it can be more than you'd expect. This calculator gives you a quick, honest figure.
Step 1: find the TEC figure
TEC stands for Typical Electricity Consumption. It's the standard way printers and copiers are rated for energy use, measured in kilowatt hours (kWh) per week, and it includes printing, standby and sleep over a typical working week. You'll find it on the manufacturer's spec sheet, usually under "environmental" or "energy". If you can't find it, use the typical values in the calculator as a starting point.
Step 2: enter your electricity price
Look at your business energy bill for the unit rate in pence per kWh. Business rates vary a lot depending on when you fixed your contract. The calculator starts at 25p per kWh, but enter your own figure for an accurate answer.
Step 3: enter the number of machines
Add every printer and copier in the office. Desktop printers count too, as they often sit in standby all week.
Step 4: read the result
The calculator shows yearly kWh and yearly cost for each machine type and in total. It works out:
Yearly kWh = TEC per week × 52 × number of machines
Yearly cost = yearly kWh × your price per kWh
Worked examples
| Machine | TEC (kWh per week) | Yearly kWh | Yearly cost at 25p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small A4 multifunction | 0.8 | 41.6 | £10.40 |
| Mid size A3 colour copier | 1.5 | 78 | £19.50 |
| Busy A3 colour copier | 3.0 | 156 | £39.00 |
These TEC values are illustrative. Check your own machine's spec sheet, as real figures vary by model and age.
What uses the most power
- Warm up. Fusers heat up to bond toner to paper. Machines that wake often use more.
- Standby. A machine that never drops into deep sleep wastes energy every night and weekend.
- Old models. Older copiers often use far more power than modern ones, especially in standby.
Ways to cut copier energy use
- Set sleep timers. Most machines let you choose how quickly they drop into low power mode.
- Use weekly timers. Switch off overnight and at weekends if your machine supports it.
- Consolidate printers. Replacing several desktop printers with one shared copier cuts standby power and running costs.
- Print less. Default to double sided and mono.
- Upgrade old machines. Newer models are usually more efficient.
Calculator specification
| Input | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|
| TEC per machine (kWh per week) | 1.5 | 0.1 to 20 |
| Electricity price (pence per kWh) | 25 | 1 to 100 |
| Number of machines | 1 | 1 to 50 |
Outputs: yearly kWh, yearly cost in pounds, monthly cost, and cost per machine. The calculator runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored.
Energy in context
For most offices, energy is a small part of the total cost of a copier. On a mid size A3 colour machine, a year of electricity at around £20 compares with a lease of around £49 a month and click charges on every page. That doesn't mean it's not worth managing, especially if you run several machines, but the biggest savings usually come from better click charges and the right sized machine. Our office printing cost calculator shows the full picture.
Carbon reporting
If you report your carbon footprint, the yearly kWh figure is what you need. Multiply it by the current UK government conversion factor for electricity to get kilograms of CO2 equivalent. Many larger businesses now ask suppliers for this information, and copier dealers can usually provide TEC data for your fleet.
Comparing your whole fleet
The calculator is most useful when you list every device. A typical small office might have one shared copier and four or five desktop printers dotted around. Each printer has its own standby draw, its own cartridges and its own breakdowns. Putting the whole fleet into the calculator shows the energy side of consolidating onto one or two shared machines. Combine that with toner savings from our toner costs guide to see the full benefit.
FAQs
How much electricity does a photocopier use?
Most modern office copiers use roughly 1 to 3 kWh a week on the standard TEC measure, depending on size and use.
How much does it cost to run a copier for a year?
At 25p per kWh, a mid size copier with a TEC of 1.5 costs about £19.50 a year in electricity.
What is TEC?
Typical Electricity Consumption, a standard weekly energy figure for printers and copiers.
Should I switch my copier off at night?
If it supports weekly timers, yes. Otherwise, make sure deep sleep is set.
Are new copiers more energy efficient?
Generally yes, especially in sleep and standby modes.