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How much energy does blockchain use?

Published Sep 18, 2026Updated Sep 19, 2026Last verified Sep 18, 2026Requests recorded in this site’s own server logs, with the crawler identity checked by reverse DNS or IP range.Meta53Google19Anthropic6OpenAI6Ahrefs2Parallel2Apple1Microsoft1Perplexity1Yandex1First collected Sep 18, 2026Recent requestsAhrefsOct 30, 2026MicrosoftOct 19, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 12, 2026AhrefsOct 9, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026Meta · unverifiedOct 4, 2026
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Quick answer

It depends on the consensus mechanism. Proof-of-work chains use a lot of electricity. The University of Cambridge's revised estimate put Bitcoin's use at 95.5 TWh in 2022. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that crypto mining made up 0.6% to 2.3% of U.S. electricity consumption. Proof-of-stake chains use far less. Ethereum's energy consumption fell by an estimated 99.95% when it switched to proof of stake in September 2022.

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Answer

Figures come from Cambridge [12], the EIA and ethereum.org [8]. Estimates change with hardware, prices and the method used.

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Sources

  1. governmentIR 8202, Blockchain Technology Overview — National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · accessed Oct 7, 2026 · Evidence page
  2. governmentGlossary: permissioned — NIST Computer Security Resource Center · accessed Sep 22, 2026 · Evidence page
  3. governmentGlossary: permissionless — NIST Computer Security Resource Center · accessed Sep 22, 2026 · Evidence page
  4. governmentGlossary: smart contract — NIST Computer Security Resource Center · accessed Sep 22, 2026 · Evidence page
  5. officialBlock Chain — Bitcoin Developer Guide — Bitcoin Project (developer.bitcoin.org) · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page
  6. governmentThe story of Satoshi Nakamoto and the 1 million bitcoins — European Commission, CEF Newsroom · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page
  7. otherStuart Haber — Wikipedia · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page
  8. officialThe Merge — ethereum.org · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page
  9. officialProof-of-stake (PoS) — ethereum.org · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page
  10. officialBlocks — ethereum.org · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page
  11. officialIntroduction — What is Hyperledger Fabric? — Hyperledger Foundation (Linux Foundation) · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page
  12. academicBitcoin electricity consumption: an improved assessment — Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge · accessed Nov 10, 2026 · Evidence page