While not as power-hungry as appliances like air conditioners or washing machines, it’s important to know how much electricity a treadmill uses when you’re looking at your whole home’s energy usage.
Key takeaways about powering a treadmill
- On average, treadmills use about 600 to 700 watts of electricity.
- Using a treadmill for 3 hours a week will use about 101.4 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year
- A treadmill costs an average of $1.20 to use for a month, and $14.39 to use for a year.
- The best way to save on electricity is to install solar panels. Start comparing your options on the EnergySage Marketplace today.
In this article
- How much electricity does a treadmill use?
- Definitions: watts, volts, amps, and more
- How much does it cost to power a treadmill?
How much electricity does a treadmill use?
Generally, treadmills use between 600 and 700 watts (W) of electricity, depending on the model. Treadmills can use up to 20 amps, and connect to a 120 volt outlet.
How much you use your treadmill has the biggest impact on how much electricity it uses over time. Interestingly, one of the most important factors for how many watts your treadmill uses is the speed at which you run: running faster puts more strain on the motor, and thus draws more electricity. Assuming a treadmill averages about 650 W at moderate speeds:
- If you run for 1.5 hours per week, that’s 0.98 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per week, 4.25 kWh per month, and 51 kWh per year.
- Running 3 hours per week comes to 1.95 kWh per week, 8.45 kWh per month, and 101.4 kWh per year.
- If you run for 4.5 hours per week, that’s 2.93 kWh of electricity per week, 12.7 kWh per month, and 152.4 kWh per year.
Different wattage treadmills use different amounts of electricity over the course of a year. Additionally, running on treadmills at different speeds affects the wattage draw. Assuming you run your treadmill a moderate amount (3 hours per week), here’s how much electricity you’ll use over the course of a year for different wattage treadmills:
How many watts do different treadmills use in a year?
| Treadmill wattage | Hours per year run | Yearly kWh of electricity |
|---|---|---|
| 500 W | 156 | 78.0 kWh |
| 550 W | 156 | 85.8 kWh |
| 600 W | 156 | 93.6 kWh |
| 650 W | 156 | 101.4 kWh |
| 700 W | 156 | 109.2 kWh |
| 750 W | 156 | 117.0 kWh |
| 800 W | 156 | 124.8 kWh |
We’ll mostly be referring to the electricity used by treadmills in terms of kWh in this article. The reason is simple: your electric bill is measured in kWh, and you get charged based on the kWh of electricity you use per month!
Watts, amps, voltage, and more: what do they mean?
There are a lot of terms you can use to describe how electricity flows and is used by appliances. We’ve already mentioned most of them – here are a few definitions to keep things straight:
- Volts (V): volts (short for voltage) are measures of electrical pressure differences. Put simply, voltage is the speed of electricity passing through a circuit.
- Amps (A): amps (short for amperes) are a measure of electrical current. Put simply, amps are the amount of electrons (which make up electricity) flowing through a circuit.
- Watts (W) and kilowatts (kW): multiplying volts x amps gets you watts (or wattage). Put simply, watts are the rate of electricity consumption. A kilowatt is just 1,000 watts.
- Kilowatt-hours (kWh): lastly, kilowatt-hours are how your electric bill measures your energy usage. Simply put, kilowatt-hours are electricity consumption over time.
You can think of all of these terms like water flowing through a pipe. Voltage is the water pressure, amps are the amount of water flowing past any point, and wattage is the overall rate of water flow through the pipe.
How much does it cost to power a treadmill?
When you get your monthly electric bill, you only get to see the total amount you’re charged, not how much each appliance contributes to your final bill. Based on an average wattage of 650 W for treadmills (amounting to 101.4 kWh/year if you use your treadmill like an average household would) and using state average electricity rates, here’s how the cost to run a treadmill pans out over the course of a month and a year:
Monthly and yearly costs to run a treadmill by state
| State | Average electricity rate | Cost per month | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 22.00 ¢ / kWh | $1.86 | $22.31 |
| New York | 20.59 ¢ / kWh | $1.74 | $20.88 |
| Texas | 12.56 ¢ / kWh | $1.06 | $12.74 |
| Massachusetts | 22.59 ¢ / kWh | $1.91 | $22.91 |
| Florida | 12.21 ¢ / kWh | $1.03 | $12.38 |
| Virginia | 12.58 ¢ / kWh | $1.06 | $12.76 |
| New Jersey | 16.20 ¢ / kWh | $1.37 | $16.43 |
| Maryland | 14.48 ¢ / kWh | $1.22 | $14.68 |
| Washington | 10.38 ¢ / kWh | $0.88 | $10.53 |
| US Average | 14.19 ¢ / kWh | $1.20 | $14.39 |
Note: average electricity rates are based on October 2021 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Looking to offset your electric bills (and the energy these appliances use) with solar? When you sign up (for free!) on the EnergySage Marketplace, you can compare solar quotes from high-quality, local solar installers. Make sure to keep in mind your current and future electricity usage, and talk about how that could change with your installer for the most accurate quotes.
Calculate how much energy your own treadmill uses
If you want to know how much electricity your treadmill uses (or at least is supposed to use), take the estimated yearly electricity use in kWh – this is probably your best bet for an accurate number. Simply multiply this number by the average electricity rate in your area to get an estimate of how much you spend to power your treadmill each year. For an estimated monthly cost, divide the estimated yearly cost by 12.
See what electricity costs near you
The more expensive your electricity is, the more you’ll pay to power a treadmill. Curious how much electricity costs near you? Click on your state to learn more:
Frequently asked questions about powering a treadmill
If you’re on a time-of-use (TOU) rate plan, you are charged different amounts for electricity throughout the day. In general, it’s cheaper to use appliances during “off-peak” hours, which are usually overnight.
All popular home batteries are capable of powering a treadmill: most lithium-ion batteries like the Tesla Powerwall or Generac PWRcell have a power rating of 4 to 5 kW or higher, and 10+ kWh of usable capacity. Treadmills use about 650 W (0.65 kW) of power at any one time, meaning a battery will be plenty suitable for backing up and powering your treadmill, even for long periods of time.
Average treadmills use about 650 W of electricity to stay powered. On average, solar panels are rated at around 350 W, meaning you’ll be able to power a treadmill with just two to three solar panels.
ENERGY STAR is a U.S. government-backed system that certifies how energy efficient appliances are. If an appliance is better than the average appliance in its category by a certain amount, it is labeled as “ENERGY STAR certified”. ENERGY STAR appliances cost less money to run, given that they are more efficient with the electricity they use.
How much money can solar panels save you?
Solar savings vary widely, and your unique savings depends on factors like electricity usage, your location, electric rates and plans, and more. In general, most homeowners can expect to save somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 over the lifetime of a solar panel system. On average, it takes between 7 and 8 years for most homeowners who shop for solar on EnergySage to get their solar panels to pay for themselves.
Going solar is one of the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate your electric bill, and you should make sure you are getting several quotes from reputable installers before you decide to move forward. Visit the EnergySage Marketplace to get solar quotes from installers in your area and begin comparing options.
