TLDR:
- Ethereum’s annual electricity use now stands at 7.87 GWh, down over 99.9% from pre-Merge levels.
- CCAF audited 8,522 physical nodes, finding a network-weighted average of 105 watts per node.
- The US, Germany, Finland, and France host about 62% of Ethereum’s full nodes combined.
- Sustainable sources supply 56.4% of Ethereum’s power, above the global average of 43%.
Ethereum’s annual electricity consumption has fallen to approximately 7.87 GWh, according to a new report from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance. The figure marks a decline of more than 99.9% compared to the network’s final pre-Merge levels.
Researchers based this estimate on a physical audit of thousands of nodes, offering a detailed view of how power demand has shifted since Ethereum moved to Proof-of-Stake.
Annual Power Use Falls Far Below Pre-Merge Levels
The 7.87 GWh figure represents a steep drop from Ethereum’s peak electricity demand under Proof-of-Work mining.
Before The Merge, the network’s continuous power draw approached 2.4 GW, a level the report describes as once “rivalling the electricity demand of a small country.” Today, that number sits closer to 0.90 MW when expressed as continuous power.
Put another way, Ethereum’s current annual power use is less than half what the British Museum consumes each year.
The museum draws around 16.18 GWh annually, making Ethereum’s footprint smaller than many single commercial buildings. This comparison helps illustrate just how far consumption has fallen.
Researchers arrived at the 7.87 GWh figure through direct wall-plug measurements rather than theoretical assumptions.
The team tested 20 different client combinations and scaled those results against real-world hosting data. This method produced a network-weighted average of roughly 105 watts per node.
That average masks a wide range of actual power draw across different setups. Residential nodes used a median of just 18 watts, while workstation-class enterprise deployments drew closer to 152 watts. The gap reflects how differently Ethereum participants configure their hardware today.
Node Audit Behind the 7.87 GWh Estimate Spans Thousands of Machines
The report’s power use figure rests on an audit covering approximately 8,522 physical nodes. This count differs from Ethereum’s validator population, which stands at roughly 894,000 economically securing the network.
The report notes these validators are “distinct from the roughly 894,000 validators that secure the network economically,” making the node count the relevant input for consumption.
Geographic concentration plays a role in shaping the final 7.87 GWh figure. The United States hosts 31% of full nodes, followed by Germany at 16%, Finland at 8%, and France at 6%. Together these four countries account for about 62% of the network’s node infrastructure.
Hosting environment also factors into the calculation behind Ethereum’s annual power use. Around 36% of nodes run on residential hardware, while 64% operate within cloud or data center settings. Hetzner, Amazon Web Services, and OVH together host roughly 40% of all nodes counted.
Client software concentration adds another layer to the infrastructure picture. On the execution side, approximately 79% of nodes run either Geth or Nethermind.
This clustering does not change the power figure directly but shapes how that consumption is distributed across providers.
Falling Power Use Brings Ethereum’s Emissions Down Sharply
The drop to 7.87 GWh carries a direct effect on Ethereum’s carbon emissions, now estimated at 2.37 ktCO₂e annually.
That represents a decline of about 99.98% from pre-Merge levels, an amount the report compares to “roughly the combined annual carbon footprint of 900 UK households.”
Sustainable electricity sources supply approximately 56.4% of the power behind this consumption figure. Renewables contribute 39.4% of that total, with nuclear generation adding another 17.0% share. Natural gas remains the largest single source at 27.7%, reflecting baseload demand in host countries.
Offsetting Ethereum’s emissions tied to its 7.87 GWh footprint would require about 400 hectares of UK woodland, an area the report says is “roughly the size of Wimbledon Common.” Purchasing removal credits to cover the full amount would cost between £25,000 and £55,000 at current prices.
The report concludes that “the grid, more than the protocol, now shapes the footprint,” pointing to local carbon intensity as the main remaining factor.
Ongoing research into stateless verification could lower hardware requirements further. Such changes may keep Ethereum’s annual power use low while broadening network participation over time.
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