Tldr:
- Ethereum’s annual electricity usage now stands at 7.87 GWh, down more than 99.9% from pre-merger levels.
- CCAF reviewed 8,522 physical nodes and found a network weighted average of 105 watts per node.
- The United States, Germany, Finland, and France host about 62% of full Ethereum nodes combined.
- Sustainable sources provide 56.4% of Ethereum’s energy, which is higher than the global average of 43%.
Ethereum’s annual electricity consumption has fallen to about 7.87 gigawatt hours, according to A New report From the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance. This number represents a decline of more than 99.9% compared to the network’s final pre-merger levels.
The researchers based this estimate on a physical audit of thousands of nodes, providing a detailed view of how power demand has shifted since Ethereum transitioned to proof-of-stake.
Annual energy use is well below pre-merger levels
The 7.87 GWh figure represents a sharp decline from Ethereum Peak electricity demand under proof-of-work mining.
Before the merger, the grid’s ongoing power consumption was approaching 2.4 gigawatts, a level the report described as “competing the electricity demand of a small country.” Today, that number is closer to 0.90 MW when expressed as continuous power.
In other words, Ethereum’s current annual energy usage is less than half of what the British Museum consumes every year.
The museum attracts about 16.18 GWh annually, making its Ethereum footprint smaller than many individual commercial buildings. This comparison helps illustrate the extent of the decline in consumption.
The researchers arrived at the figure of 7.87 gigawatt-hours through direct measurements rather than theoretical assumptions.
The team tested 20 different customer groups and benchmarked those results against real-world hosting data. This method produced a network weighted average of about 105 watts per node.
This average hides a wide range of actual power draw across different settings. Residential nodes used an average of just 18 watts, while workstation-class enterprise deployments approached 152 watts. This gap reflects how differently Ethereum participants configure their devices today.
The node audit behind the 7.87 GWh estimate includes thousands of devices
The power usage figure in the report is based on an audit covering approximately 8,522 physical nodes. This number is different from Ethereum Validation Tool The population, which is approximately 894,000 people, secures the network economically.
The report notes that these validators “distinct from the approximately 894,000 validators that economically secure the network,” making the node count the relevant inputs for consumption.
Geographic concentration plays a role in shaping the final figure of 7.87 GWh. The United States hosts 31% of full nodes, followed by Germany 16%, Finland 8%, and France 6%. Together, these four countries represent about 62% of the network’s node infrastructure.
The hosting environment also affects the calculation of Ethereum’s annual energy usage. About 36% of nodes run on residential hardware, while 64% run within cloud or data center settings. Together, Hetzner, Amazon Web Services, and OVH host approximately 40% of all nodes counted.
Focusing client software adds another layer to the infrastructure picture. Implementation-wise, roughly 79% of nodes run on either Geth or Nethermind.
This aggregation does not directly change the power figure but shapes how this consumption is distributed across providers.
Reduced energy use causes Ethereum’s emissions to decline sharply
The decrease to 7.87 GWh has a direct impact on Ethereum Carbon emissions are now estimated at 2.37 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
This represents a decline of around 99.98% from pre-merger levels, an amount the report compares to “approximately the combined annual carbon footprint of 900 UK households”.
Sustainable electricity sources provide approximately 56.4% of the energy behind this consumption figure. Renewable energy sources contribute 39.4% of this total, and nuclear power generation adds another share of 17.0%. Natural gas remains the largest single source at 27.7%, reflecting underlying demand in host countries.
Offsetting Ethereum’s emissions associated with its 7.87 gigawatt-hour footprint would require around 400 hectares of forest in the UK, 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.
“It is the network, more than the protocol, that now shapes the footprint,” the report concludes, citing local carbon intensity as the main remaining factor.
Continued research into stateless verification could further reduce hardware requirements. Such changes may remain Ethereum Annual energy use is low as grid participation expands over time.
