How much electricity does a kiln use per firing?

At the US average rate of $0.1783 per kWh (EIA, March 2026): the Skutt KM-1027 and L&L e23T each use 86.4 kWh for a cone-6 glaze firing ($15.41). The Skutt KM-1018 uses 70.9 kWh ($12.65). The Skutt KM-818 uses 50.0 kWh ($8.91). The Paragon Caldera uses 4.2 kWh ($0.75). All figures computed using L&L's segment duty-cycle method on each kiln's rated wattage.

How much does it cost to fire a kiln per piece?

For the Skutt KM-1027 at $15.41 per glaze firing: a full load of 35 mugs costs $0.44 per mug in electricity. A half-empty kiln firing 17 mugs costs $0.91 per mug for the same total electricity cost. Filling the kiln on every firing is the main lever for reducing per-piece electricity cost.

Do the Skutt KM-1027 and L&L e23T cost the same to fire?

Yes. Both draw exactly 48 amps at 240 volts (11,520 watts) and have the same firing energy consumption. A cone-6 glaze firing costs $15.41 on either kiln at the US average rate. Your electricity bill does not distinguish between the two.

What method was used to calculate kiln firing costs?

L&L Hot Kilns' segment duty-cycle method estimates energy consumption from the kiln's rated wattage and the firing schedule's total time and duty cycle. For a cone-6 glaze firing on an 11.52 kW kiln, the method yields 86.4 kWh. That figure scales linearly by wattage for smaller kilns. Rate used: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, US average residential, March 2026 ($0.1783/kWh).

Does electricity account for the full cost of firing a kiln?

No. Electricity is the largest ongoing cost but not the only one. Kiln elements wear out and require periodic replacement (roughly every 100 to 200 firings in typical use, depending on firing temperature and cone level). Kiln wash and shelf replacement are consumable costs. Kiln furniture (shelves and posts) degrades over years of use. Electricity cost is the per-firing operating cost; element life and furniture replacement are amortized long-term costs.

Kiln Cost to Fire: Electricity Cost Per Model and Cone

How much does it cost to fire a kiln? The answer is a straightforward arithmetic problem: wattage times firing hours times duty cycle equals kilowatt-hours, and kilowatt-hours times your electricity rate equals dollars. The table below gives computed values for every kiln reviewed on this site at bisque and cone-6 glaze, using a verified method and the US average electricity rate from March 2026.

These are the numbers that potter forums argue about anecdotally. They are computable from published data. Nobody else has published this table for all five kilns in one place.

The cost-per-firing table

Method: L&L’s segment duty-cycle calculation applied to each kiln’s rated wattage. Rate: $0.1783/kWh (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, US average residential, March 2026). All wattages verified against manufacturer specifications at authorized dealers, June 2026.

Kiln	Wattage	Bisque kWh	Bisque cost	Glaze kWh	Glaze cost	Full cycle cost
Skutt KM-1027	11,520W	51.8	$9.24	86.4	$15.41	$24.65
L&L e23T	11,520W	51.8	$9.24	86.4	$15.41	$24.65
Skutt KM-1018	9,456W	42.5	$7.58	70.9	$12.65	$20.23
Skutt KM-818	6,660W	30.0	$5.35	50.0	$8.91	$14.26
Paragon Caldera	1,680W	2.5	$0.45	4.2	$0.75	$1.20

“Bisque” = cone 04 bisque firing. “Glaze” = cone-6 glaze firing. “Full cycle cost” = bisque + glaze, the total to move a piece from greenware to glazed. Rate: EIA US average residential, March 2026. Method: L&L segment duty-cycle. Wattages: verified at manufacturer authorized dealers, June 2026.

The KM-1027 and e23T are identical. Both draw exactly 48 amps at 240 volts. At the same wattage, both consume the same electricity and cost the same to fire. Your electricity bill does not distinguish between them.

How to calculate cost at your electricity rate

The formula for any kiln at any rate:

Cost per firing = kWh from table × your rate in $/kWh

Examples using the KM-1027 glaze firing (86.4 kWh):

Electricity rate	Cost per glaze firing
$0.12/kWh (low, common in South and Pacific Northwest)	$10.37
$0.1783/kWh (US national average, EIA March 2026)	$15.41
$0.25/kWh (moderate, common in Northeast)	$21.60
$0.35/kWh (high, California, Hawaii, coastal New England)	$30.24

The difference between a $0.12 rate and a $0.35 rate roughly triples the per-firing electricity cost. For a potter who fires the KM-1027 50 times per year:

At $0.12/kWh: ~$519 per year in glaze-firing electricity
At $0.35/kWh: ~$1,512 per year

Find your state’s current rate at the EIA State Electricity Profiles.

Potter loading ceramic pieces into a top-loading electric kiln in a studio — Loading a kiln fully on every firing is the most direct way to reduce per-piece electricity cost. A KM-1027 fired full to 35 mugs costs $15.41 total, or $0.44 per mug. Firing the same kiln with 18 mugs costs the same $15.41, or $0.86 per mug. (Photo: Kampus Production, Pexels License)

Per-piece electricity cost

Electricity cost per piece depends on load density. For a KM-1027 glaze firing at $15.41:

Pieces in load	Cost per piece
15 mugs (sparse)	$1.03
25 mugs (typical)	$0.62
35 mugs (full)	$0.44
50 small cups (full, dense)	$0.31

The same logic applies at every kiln size. The per-piece cost is controlled almost entirely by load density, not by kiln model selection. A smaller kiln (KM-818 at $8.91 per glaze firing) that holds 20 pieces produces the same per-piece cost as a KM-1027 ($15.41) that holds 36 pieces:

KM-818 full (20 pieces): $8.91 / 20 = $0.45 per piece
KM-1027 full (35 pieces): $15.41 / 35 = $0.44 per piece

The per-piece economics are nearly identical when both kilns fire full. The KM-1027 fires more pieces per load, which reduces total firing sessions per year at the same production volume.

A residential electricity meter mounted on an exterior wall — Every firing cost ends up here: the meter that turns kilowatt-hours into the number on your utility bill. *kevin dooley via Flickr. CC BY 2.0.*

How the calculation works

The L&L segment duty-cycle method accounts for the structure of a pottery firing schedule: slow initial ramp (low duty cycle), faster climb (higher duty cycle), final hold to temperature (near 100% duty cycle), and cool-down (zero draw). The method estimates total energy as a function of the kiln’s rated wattage and the typical duty cycle at each stage.

For an 11.52 kW kiln on a standard cone-6 glaze schedule, the result is 86.4 kWh. This figure scales linearly by wattage for smaller kilns: the KM-1018 at 9,456W produces 70.9 kWh (86.4 × 9.456/11.52 = 70.9), and the KM-818 at 6,660W produces 50.0 kWh (86.4 × 6.66/11.52 = 50.0).

The Paragon Caldera does not scale from the same baseline because its small thermal mass means firing cycles are significantly shorter (a cone-04 bisque in the Caldera takes roughly 2 to 3 hours versus 7 to 8 hours in a full-size kiln). The Caldera figures (2.5 kWh bisque, 4.2 kWh glaze) are derived from its 1.68 kW draw over the shorter typical firing duration.

Finished glazed ceramic bowl after kiln firing showing rich color glaze — The electricity cost per piece of finished glazed work is under $0.50 when the kiln fires full at the national average rate. Glaze materials, clay body, and studio time typically cost far more per piece than the electricity. Knowing the firing cost places it in proportion. (Photo: Tobyotter, CC BY 2.0 via Flickr)

Annual electricity cost at production volume

For a home studio potter firing the KM-1027 fifty times per year (roughly equal bisque and glaze):

25 bisque firings × $9.24 = $231 per year
25 glaze firings × $15.41 = $385 per year
Total: $616 per year at the national average rate

That is the electricity budget for a productive home studio at the US average rate. At $0.12/kWh the same 50 firings cost roughly $411. At $0.30/kWh, the same 50 firings cost roughly $1,029.

For the KM-818 at the same 50-firing pace: approximately $352 per year at the national average.

What electricity is not

Electricity is the variable operating cost, not the dominant cost of owning a kiln. Element sets for the KM-1027 run $200 to $400 and require replacement roughly every 100 to 200 firings. Kiln shelves wear out over years. Kiln wash is consumed every firing. The amortized cost of these items per firing is often similar to or greater than the electricity cost per firing.

Electricity cost is where most online kiln discussions anchor, because it is the only cost that shows up monthly on a bill. But in a full cost-of-ownership picture, an accurate electricity cost shows it to be a manageable ongoing expense, not a dominant one.

For the decisions that precede buying a kiln, see the first kiln buying guide. For individual model reviews with the full owner picture, see KM-1027, KM-1018, KM-818, L&L e23T, and Paragon Caldera. For the KM-1027 versus e23T firing-cost comparison in context, see Skutt vs L&L Kilns.

Ceramics workshop with kilns and multiple ware boards holding unfired pottery — A productive home studio producing enough work to fire weekly generates roughly $600 per year in kiln electricity at the national average rate. That figure belongs in the same spreadsheet row as clay, glazes, and equipment maintenance, not as the headline cost of the craft. (Photo: Mariusz Raniszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)