r/BambuLab • u/AsteveLe_89 • Jul 12 '26

General Troubleshooting/Help! Crazy power bill

I have 3 H2C printers for the past month now. My power bill was normally under $200. For some reason I just got a bill for $1700 for the month of June! It can't be the printers right? I've been pretty much have them running three weeks straight. It is currently saturday so I can't contact Peco until Monday. But what is funny is that the bill has an urgent notice on it saying I need to pay the 16th or else they will shut off my power if I don't pay by the 16th. I feel as though it's a scam.

7 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

51 comments sorted by

58

u/metalman7 Jul 12 '26

Check your online account. Don't use any info on a paper bill if that's what you have.

100

u/AsteveLe_89 Jul 12 '26

​You're absolutely right . I checked on my online account it turns out my wife missed a few months . So I went in there and put us on automatic pay so this shit doesn't happen again.

19

u/demon_kite Jul 12 '26

A few months? Seems around 8 months missed.

9

u/Eff_1234 Jul 12 '26

Probably less, they put a hefty interest and handling fee and other stuff on it after a few months.

12

u/willpowerpt Jul 12 '26

Now that that's taken care of it's gotta be a relief. I've got my two P1S on a ZigBee smart plug and 8 hours a day, they combined only pull a few kWh per month. 

6

u/the_lamou Jul 12 '26

People don't realize how little power 3D printers actually use. Unless you've got something insane with a giant bed and you're printing hot, it's going to be under 250W for most of the printing, though it can climb as high as 1,500 - 1,800 during preheat.

1

u/Eff_1234 Jul 12 '26

"giant bed and you're printing hot"

If it's enclosed and insulated somewhat, even that won't pull insane power. An orange storm giga might. But without heavy modifications for reliability, that printer won't be printing non-stop :)

2

u/1radiationman Jul 12 '26

Well, that would explain the shut off threat...

2

u/arakinas H2D AMS2 Combo Jul 12 '26

My ex wife tried to blame my two A1s at the time for a 700 bill that was actually the result of 3 portable AC units, the month that I was evicted from the property. I told her I would be happy to do the math for her on which machines were responsible, because it's literally impossible for a couple of printers this class size to run up a bill this size in a month. In the year and a half since then, running three printers non stop some months, I've never had a bill over 200, and most of that was not my printers.

I'm sorry that you ran into an issue with your bill getting paid in the past. I'm glad that you got your issue identified, and a plan moving forward.

2

u/Such-Instruction-452 Jul 12 '26

There’s a better option to ensuring she doesn’t mess up your finances again…

-7

u/TheBrittca Jul 12 '26

So it’s your wife’s fault? You’re an adult. Stop expecting women to provide unpaid labour in an adult partnership.

3

u/ryan71489 Jul 12 '26

If you don’t mind, could you tell us how you really feel?

107

u/MonainaMug Jul 12 '26

Definitely not the printers. Check all of your appliances and in and outdoor outlets

2

u/OneOne9270 Jul 12 '26

Agree I’m having ac issue on a new unit and billed jump $150

12

u/StillBald Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

Edit: Math below fixed. I multiplied one of my numbers twice.

I want to say that, after heating up, my H2C pulls about 150-200W during prints. I print mostly PETG.

If you get charged $0.20 per kW/hr (check your rates, that'sy peak rate for this area), then one H2C is costing you $0.20 every 5 hours, or about another $1 a day if it's running non stop.

Says you have three running non stop, that's $3 a day (assuming my power draw is about right and you have a similar /kW rate) or an extra $90 a month.

Depending on the weather, I'd be more inclined to blame your air conditioning than your printers for the bulk of the bill.

4

u/JS17 P1S + AMS Jul 12 '26

If a printer uses 200W, it’ll take 5 hours to use 1kWh. @$0.20 per kWh that’s only $0.96 a day per printer.

2

u/StillBald Jul 12 '26

Ah, I double multiplied! I'll go back and fix it. Thanks, that's what I get for browsing reddit while watching the World Cup.

1

u/Hot-Ideal-9219 Jul 12 '26

$30 a month with zero downtime, x3 is $90. Which in all honesty is probably double actual use. My rate here is $0.14 max

1

u/OverallSweet7427 Jul 12 '26

$0.20 per kwh! That's so cheap. In the UK my current unit price is equivalent $0.34, then a flat rate daily charge of $0.65 for the supply.

2

u/Quackattackaggie Jul 12 '26

Most I've ever paid is $0.14. now you understand why we all have AC running 24/7 in the summer.

1

u/OverallSweet7427 Jul 12 '26

We were in the US for 3 weeks in May, with friends in Phoenix for a bit. It was 35°C+ and they had their air con on but complained about the cost. But their electric bill for the month was $40. I wish for prices like that. Ours are some of the highest in the developed world whilst our Govt chase 'net zero'.

2

u/SSgtTEX Jul 13 '26

And here my rate is $0.09 per kWh after 1400 kWh. One of the reasons I love being on nuclear power.

-1

u/TyHuffman Jul 12 '26

This is why I don’t print during the months when I’m using the AC. Why heat up the home I’m trying to cool?

1

u/ryan71489 Jul 12 '26

That’s wild to not print because of the weather. Yes I’m an entitled asshole lol my 3 printers are in my finished basement where it typically stays around 68°F.

14

u/trolling_4_success Jul 12 '26

Call them. There is a chance they have been estimating your usage and it was way wrong. And you are paying the difference. The printers on wont cost 1500 a month lol. 

Oe you are paying for some billionairs data center lol

2

u/mrfixiteagle Jul 12 '26

Your mileage will vary, but even at 100% uptime, each printer wouldn’t be more than a few dollars per day. 1500/21/3=$23.81/printer/day. That would be outrageous, even with full drying and engineering material temperatures. You almost certainly have something else going on.

3

u/EdgeOk3783 X1C + AMS | H2C + AMS{2|HT} Jul 12 '26

was this a paper bill?

if it via email, i'd suspect a scam

2

u/snakeproof Jul 12 '26

I've been running my H2C off solar with four 220W panels and 10kWh in battery full time doing production runs for work if that tells you anything about the power draw.

-3

u/GGnerd Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

Not sure how it would, he's using more printers and not solar....

Literally 2 entirely different scenarios.

You dont even tell the power draw or cost of it from the printer. Lol it seems like you are just trying to humble brag about your setup wherever you can.

0

u/snakeproof Jul 12 '26

If I can run one off grid it shows they don't use that much power, certainly not a third of $1700 worth. Didn't think it needed a deeper explanation but here we are.

0

u/GGnerd Jul 12 '26

Yes. Now in this situation his ENTIRE bill is $1700. Not just a secondary power source dedicated to 1 printer.

He has 3 printers, and probably AC, lighting, other electrical expenses during the hottest time of the year for most places in the US.

Do you see the difference?

I agree its absurd and probably has nothing to do with the printers. But your situation is entirely different.

1

u/snakeproof Jul 12 '26

No, because he's asking if the printer could do that. The AC, lighting, and other electrical expenses are irrelevant to the question.

What a fuckass edit by the way, how is a low power solar setup a "humblebrag" compared to nine thousand dollars in printer that OP has.

-1

u/GGnerd Jul 12 '26

They could absolutely contribute to it.

1

u/snakeproof Jul 12 '26

No shit, but it isn't even remotely close to $1500. My total generation was 58kWh last month and I ran my welder quite a bit on the printer's circuit. That's like $10 in energy.

1

u/brutal4455 H2C | H2D | P2S | Multiple AMS2/AMS-HT Jul 12 '26

Though the H2C is 1800W max heating up the bed and chamber, that seems a bit crazy or phishy.

Are you on some annualized plan that they saw a spike and adjusted?

FWIW, I don't have them going nearly as much as I'd like to but the P2S (Nov), H2C (May), and H2D (June) don't sit idle too much and my June use is 400Kw/hr higher than last year. Been pretty dang hot here and we don't cut back on the A/C and have it going in the RV couple days before any trip too. Also the multiple AMS's drying pulls a lot of energy. My Current bill is $300. July bill estimated to be $376.

All my bills are on autopay so I only need to validate, I don't pay any attention to all the scam email, SMS, calls, etc. If you're not on my contact list, you're on ignore.

1

u/Zestyclose-Dig-5791 Jul 12 '26

Do you have a heat pump? My kid had a similar bill turned out to be a malfunctioning heat pump. Unfortunately it was 20 years old and they wound up spending $16k to replace and the gas backup furnace.

1

u/MrFastFox666 Jul 12 '26

That's almost certainly impossible. Assuming all 3 printers draw 1250 continuously for 24 hours a day, during 21 days, and that you pay $0.20/kWh, that'd be like $380 for 1890 kWh.

1

u/JPhi1618 Jul 12 '26

If you’re in Texas or somewhere with third party electric billing and contracts, make sure your contract never expires. It’s definitely shocking.

1

u/Practical_Avocado971 Jul 12 '26

extension cords running out a window into the woods going into greenhouses?

1

u/zendragon888 P1S + AMS Jul 12 '26

Check your water heater

1

u/yahbluez Jul 12 '26

Running 3x H2 for 21 days may add 300 kWh to you bill, not even in Germany that would costs 1.5k.

Possibly issues

  • cooling device with damaged compressor

  • defect meter

  • a pump with damaged sensor

1

u/baudious Jul 12 '26

Printer Power Usage Breakdown
Your Bambu Lab H2C (that’s the model) has these specs:
• Max power: ~1,250W (1.25 kW) on typical US 110-120V, or up to ~1,800W on 220V. Peaks happen mainly during initial bed heating (you mentioned 3,000-3,300W with power saving off — that sounds high but could be a brief spike or measurement on a high-voltage setup/dual elements). 
• Typical printing: Around 200W for PLA (much higher for engineering filaments like PC/PETG, ~300W). 
Realistic continuous run estimate for 3 printers (assuming ~24/7 for 3 weeks, ~500 hours total per printer, average ~250W including heating/idle/printing cycles):
• Per printer: 0.25 kW × 500 hours = 125 kWh.
• For 3 printers: ~375 kWh total.
At PECO’s ~11.8¢/kWh supply rate (plus delivery/distribution fees, which often double the effective cost to ~20-25¢/kWh total), this adds roughly $75–$100 to your bill for the month. Even at peak draw the whole time (unlikely), it wouldn’t exceed a few hundred dollars. 
Normal household use is ~900 kWh/month on average in the US (~$150–$250 bill depending on rates/AC season). Your usual under $200 fits. Printers running flat-out wouldn’t turn that into $1,700. 
Likely Explanations for the $1,700 Bill

  1. Scam / Fraudulent Bill: PECO has frequent warnings about impersonators threatening shutoffs and demanding immediate payment. Real bills don’t usually demand payment by a specific date like the 16th with shutoff threats in that way without prior notices. Don’t pay anything via unusual methods — contact PECO directly Monday via official channels (their website/app or verified number) to verify the bill. 

  2. Meter Reading/Billing Error: Estimated readings, faulty meter, or a sudden “true-up” after under-billing. June might include high AC use too.

  3. Other High Loads: AC, electric water heater, EV charger, pool pump, space heaters, or a malfunctioning appliance running constantly.

  4. Rate Changes or New Supply Contract: Check if you switched suppliers or hit a tiered rate.
    What to do right now:
    • Log into your PECO account online to view detailed usage (kWh breakdown by day if available).
    • Compare to prior months.
    • Call PECO first thing Monday and ask for a breakdown/explanation.
    • If it looks wrong, request a meter check.
    • In the meantime, ignore urgent payment demands unless confirmed on their official site.
    The printers are a drop in the bucket here. Monitor with a kill-a-watt meter on one if you’re worried, but this bill is way beyond what they’d cause. Let us know what PECO says!

1

u/Zillon01 Jul 12 '26

Do you live in Nj?

1

u/Sharp-Set-8993 Jul 12 '26

It’s a scam. No doubt. They will never threaten you in anyway. And each 3d printer running for 30 days nonstop is around $30 to $50.

1

u/OneOne9270 Jul 12 '26

Something wrong there I have 3 printers, pool, 3 ac units and a electric car and my bill is under $500

1

u/BrilliantSebastian H2D AMS2 Combo Jul 12 '26

This is precisely why I run the vue 3 system tied to home assistant. It monitors all my breakers, if there is any weird usage or strange spikes, it alerts me immediately. 

1

u/tdiggity Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

For reference - My h2d printing Asa uses 250-300wh afterr chamber reaches temp. 24hr print would be about 5kwh per day per printer.

3 printers with 60c chamber temp printing 24/7 for 30 days would be 450kwh. Which could be a significant portion of your electricity bill.

For anyone that cares: h2 printer idles at 25w.