---
title: "How much energy does blockchain use?"
url: "https://worldwiki.io/q/how-much-energy-does-blockchain-use"
type: "question"
language: "en"
intent: "informational"
entity: "Blockchain"
topic: "Blockchain"
published: "2026-09-18 07:10:23"
updated: "2026-09-18 16:10:23"
---

# How much energy does blockchain use?

## Short 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.

## Answer

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

## Verified providers

- [TwoLegend](https://worldwiki.io/entity/twolegend) — TwoLegend is a South Korean software development company specializing in blockchain mainnet, AI and enterprise software development.

## Related questions

- [What is the difference between a public and a private blockchain?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-is-the-difference-between-a-public-and-a-private-blockchain)
- [Can a blockchain be hacked or changed?](https://worldwiki.io/q/can-a-blockchain-be-hacked-or-changed)
- [What is a smart contract on a blockchain?](https://worldwiki.io/q/what-is-a-smart-contract-on-a-blockchain)
- [Is blockchain the same as Bitcoin?](https://worldwiki.io/q/is-blockchain-the-same-as-bitcoin)

## Sources

1. [IR 8202, Blockchain Technology Overview](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/ir/8202/final) — National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/153
2. [Glossary: permissioned](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/permissioned) — NIST Computer Security Resource Center · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/154
3. [Glossary: permissionless](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/permissionless) — NIST Computer Security Resource Center · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/155
4. [Glossary: smart contract](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/smart_contract) — NIST Computer Security Resource Center · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/156
5. [Block Chain — Bitcoin Developer Guide](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/block_chain.html) — Bitcoin Project (developer.bitcoin.org) · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/157
6. [The story of Satoshi Nakamoto and the 1 million bitcoins](https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/cef/items/663083/de-) — European Commission, CEF Newsroom · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/158
7. [Stuart Haber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Haber) — Wikipedia · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/159
8. [The Merge](https://ethereum.org/roadmap/merge/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/160
9. [Proof-of-stake (PoS)](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/consensus-mechanisms/pos/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/161
10. [Blocks](https://ethereum.org/developers/docs/blocks/) — ethereum.org · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/162
11. [Introduction — What is Hyperledger Fabric?](https://hyperledger-fabric.readthedocs.io/en/latest/whatis.html) — Hyperledger Foundation (Linux Foundation) · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/163
12. [Bitcoin electricity consumption: an improved assessment](https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/2023/bitcoin-electricity-consumption/) — Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge · evidence page: https://worldwiki.io/source/164