There has been so much talk about expensive electricity and the electricity shortage that may hit us this winter that you grow tired of hearing about it. But by all means, saving energy is an important topic now and in the future. An espresso machine, of course, consumes significant amounts of electricity and in this article, we are going to look at what a home barista can do to conserve energy and save on the electric bill.
However, let me start by addressing the elephant in the room – a traditional espresso machine is not the most energy efficient way to make coffee.
But how much electricity does an espresso machine use and what does this consumption look like compared to other appliances, activities, and so on?
If this does not interest you, you can jump directly to the energy saving tips through this link.
Electricity consumption of espresso machines – test and comparison
At Espressivo, we connected a Rocket R58 espresso machine to an energy meter, to find out how much power it actually uses. Since it is a dual boiler machine, the machine was tested both with only one boiler and with both boilers active. The end result was:
Test 1: “regular evening espresso for two”. The machine was switched on with only the coffee maker active for a total of 45 minutes, during which a double espresso was brewed. The electricity consumption for the entire session was 0.19 kWh.
Test 2: “weekend cappuccino at a leisurely pace + cleaning routine”. The machine was turned on for a total of 1 hour and 49 minutes, during which time we made three cappuccinos, all with double espresso as the base. The session was rounded off by backflushing the machine with detergent. Total electricity consumption for this session was 0.58 kWh.
The American company Whole Latte Love has conducted a similar test with another double boiler machine. In their test, the machine was switched on for two hours and produced two caffè lattes, with a total electricity consumption of 0.55 kWh. Fully heated and with both boilers active, the espresso machine consumed 0.12 kWh per hour when it “idled”. The result is thus fully in line with Espressivo’s own tests.
Espresso machines with heat exchangers, such as Rocket Mozzafiato or ECM Technika, in theory have slightly lower consumption than a double boiler with both heating elements active, but slightly higher than a double boiler with only the coffee boiler active. That said, the real-world consumption depends on the volume, power and other features of the boiler in question.
So, how big is this electricity consumption when compared to other things?
Here is a short list of examples:
- Filter brewing of half a jug of coffee, about 1.2 liters, with a Moccamaster coffee maker: 0.10 kWh
- A five-minute hot shower (38°C, 15 l/min): about 2.50 kWh
- Typical daily consumption for a reasonably good gaming PC: 1.87 kWh
- Driving to town and back (30 km) with the most electricity-efficient electric car on the market: 3.57 kWh.
The above is only intended as a quick reference, not as an argument against or for any type of electricity use in particular.
View more accurate description of testing methodology, measurements and citations
In both tests, the R58 machine was allowed to warm up passively for half an hour, with only the coffee boiler active. For the cappuccino test, the steam boiler was switched on only after this preheating period.
Electricity consumption was at its highest during the first five minutes, as the R58’s coffee boiler worked its way up to its pre-set temperature. Electricity consumption for this time period was 0.07 kWh.
After about 15 minutes, the E61 brew head was too hot to touch, and the cumulative electricity consumption was 0.11 kWh. During the following quarter of an hour, the machine started to achieve thermal balance and electricity consumption decreased significantly – during this period the consumption was only 0.02 kWh. After half an hour of preheating, the espresso machine had thus consumed a total of 0.13 kWh.
For the first test, a double espresso was brewed. After the coffee was enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere, the machine was quickly cleaned with a brush and a backflushed a couple of times with plain water.
During the second test, a total of three cappuccinos were produced, all with double espresso as a base. After the coffee was consumed at a leisurely pace, the steam boiler was turned off (the machine had then been on for about an hour and a half), drained and refilled with fresh water. After that, the brew head was thoroughly cleaned first with a brush and water, and then thoroughly backflushed with detergent.
For the duration of both tests, the R58 was programmed to use the factory settings. Thus, the temperature of the coffee boiler was 105 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the steam boiler was 118 degrees Celsius.
The Moccamaster coffee maker, model KB 741 with a 1520 W heating element, was tested with Espressivo’s energy meter.
The five-minute shower is a theoretical example where the incoming water is heated from 10°C to 38°C and the shower is running continuously with a water flow of 15 litres per minute. Heating water, requires 4.18 kJ/kg/°C of energy. Thus, to heat the water in the example, about 117/kJ per litre is required. The example consumes a total of 75 litres of water, the heating of which requires a total of about 9 MJ, which is the same as 2.5 kWh.
External sources:
The Tech Wire. Electricity consumption of a gaming PC, example for a Midrange PC. https://www.thetechwire.com/how-much-electricity-does-a-gaming-pc-use/
The Driven. Tesla Model 3 electricity consumption.
https://thedriven.io/2020/10/20/model-3-achieves-record-low-energy-consumption-in-driving-efficiency-test/
Energy saving tips for espresso machines
Naturally, electricity should not be wasted – regardless of what is used for. Here are some ways to reduce a traditional espresso machine’s electricity consumption when using it in a home setting.
Choose an espresso machine of the right size
Here, a simple rule of thumb applies: a larger espresso machine, with a larger boiler volume and mass consumes more electricity.
You should thus choose a machine that corresponds to your real needs. For how many people do you usually serve espresso drinks? Do you make a lot of coffees with milk or mostly black coffee? Etc.
If you already have a good espresso machine, it is probably not worth replacing solely for the sake of electricity consumption. But if you are going to buy a new machine anyway, electricity consumption is an aspect to take into account.
Keep the machine in good condition
Regular cleaning and service is important for the longevity of the appliance. In the case of an espresso machine boiler, it is important not to have thick limescale deposits in it, as this will also increase electricity consumption.
Preferably use soft water in your machine, for example, using a water softener. If, nevertheless, lime deposits form, you should descale the machine with a suitable descaling agent.
Do not heat the machine unnecessarily
An espresso machine consumes the most energy when heated from room temperature and when in active use, which our test clearly illustrates. However, this does not mean that a machine in home use should be switched on all the time.
The best approach is to allow the machine to reach a stable operating temperature passively. How long this takes varies depending on the machine, but for appliances intended for home use, a maximum of half an hour of preheating is usually enough.
It is possible to reach stable temperature slightly faster by flushing a little extra water through the brew head in short intervals. However, this requires more electricity than passive heating and thus does not pay off when the goal is to reduce electricity consumption.
If you are not going to use the machine within the next hour or so, it is usually best to turn it off. If you use your espresso machine many times during the day, it is worth finding out the most energy conserving techniques yourself, using an energy meter.
But keep in mind that most manufacturers do not recommend that the machine should be kept on for long periods of time, especially not without supervision. Keeping the machine warm for a long time will make gaskets dry faster and can even wear out electronics prematurely. Although the last-mentioned aspect has certainly been widely debated on various coffee forums.
In terms of conserving electricity, however, the conclusion is quite clear – the machine should be switched off when it is not in use.
Turn the steam boiler off if it is not needed
If you don’t need steam during your coffee session, it certainly pays to switch off the steam boiler on dual boiler machines. Usually, the steam boiler does not serve any function for brewing espresso – the temperature stability is excellent even with only the coffee boiler turned on.
If you want to make an “americano” (but still do not need any steam), it is probably better to heat a small amount of water in a separate kettle or in the microwave, instead of using the steam boiler of the espresso machine.
The coffee cups can be preheated on top of the machine while the machine is warming up. Usually about half an hour is enough.
It is also fine to switch on the steam boiler only just before it is actually needed. For example, if you preheated the machine for half an hour in the morning using a timer, you can switch on the steam boiler manually while setting the table. On most machines, the steam boiler reaches full pressure in just over five minutes.
Likewise, you can turn the steam boiler off as soon as it is no longer needed.
Maximize the capacity of a single boiler
On single boiler machines, where the temperature must be raised before you can steam milk, it is worth planning ahead when you are going to serve several cups in a row. In order to reduce the electricity consumption, your aim should be to switch between coffee and steam mode as few times as possible.
If you are going to serve two cappuccinos with double espresso, brew two espressos first and then steam milk for both drinks at the same time. If the machine is too weak to steam such a large volume of milk at once, you can steam in two smaller jugs one after the other.
When making coffee for even more people, you can try to change the order of the workflow. For the first cups, prepare the coffee first, and for the following round, start with the milk while the machine is still at steam temperature. This might not be optimal as far as the quality of the drinks is concerned, but definitely something worth experimenting with.
However, be careful that the water level in the small boiler does not drop too low, as this can damage the heating element.
Energy efficient cleaning routine
The regular cleaning routine of the espresso machine can also benefit from a bit of planning. Backflushing with detergent should always be scheduled before or after a normal coffee session.
Flushing of the steam boiler (very important to do regularly on both HX and double boiler machines) should always take place at the end of a coffee session. When the boiler has been refilled with new water from the cold-water tank, turn the boiler or machine off. It is unnecessary to heat the fresh water until the next time it is to be used.
If possible, also try to use the hot water drained from the steam boiler for something. For example, soaking of filter handles or washing other dishes.
If possible, take advantage of lower electricity prices
The last tip applies not only to espresso machines, but to all appliances that use electricity. If you buy market price electricity, i.e. so-called “spot price”, the price of electricity varies hourly. The price of electricity is always determined for one day ahead and the price information is published on many websites, for example this one.
Using this data, the person who gets billed for market price electricity can direct their consumption to the hours with the lowest electricity price. Now, of course, I don’t mean that all espresso coffee should be enjoyed in the wee hours, when the price of electricity is usually at its lowest.
But, for example, on ordinary afternoons, moving the coffee break by an hour here or there can mean a halved electricity cost (sometimes even lower than that!). In case a slightly changed schedule isn’t a major inconvenience, it is of course something that can increase your savings.
The above energy saving tips may, on their own, sound quite insignificant. Especially if you look at what accounts for the biggest electricity usage in the home as a whole. Based on our test, an espresso machine in home use consumes electricity at a level that probably won’t blow the bank even with relatively high electricity prices. There are probably far worse energy hogs to be found in most homes.
However, by using the espresso machine strategically, it is possible to save significant amounts of electricity over time. Particularly as the above ideas for saving energy in no way detracts from enjoying your home barista setup fully.
So, consider how you can apply these energy saving tips in your home. If you have additional tips on how to save energy when making coffee, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.
