It is becoming increasingly important to control the electricity consumption of appliances at home due to the increase in the price of energy worldwide.
Dolce Gusto coffee machines are excellent allies if we want to save on our electricity bills. They are machines designed to operate with minimum energy consumption.
Does Dolce Gusto say how much energy its coffee machines consume?
If we want to know exactly how much electricity our Dolce Gusto coffee machine consumes, we will have to calculate it, as the manufacturer does not provide this information. The only data they provide is related to the electrical power, but this is enough to calculate.
The formula to calculate how much energy the coffee machine consumes is to multiply its electrical power by the time it is in use. And if we multiply this result by the price of electricity, we will know the cost of using the coffee machine.
Energy consumption study of a Dolce Gusto coffee machine
To give you an idea of how efficient Dolce Gusto coffee machines are, if we prepare a daily coffee for a whole year, the consumption at this time will not exceed 10kWh. And if we apply the above formula to the current energy price, the total use cost will be around £3 per year.
To calculate the electrical consumption of a Dolce Gusto coffee machine, we need to know its electrical power. This power is around 1500W on average, referring mostly to the heating element. The power of the water pump barely reaches 50W.
Note: The average brewing time for a coffee is 1 minute, starting from a cold heating element. That is, from a coffee machine off for several hours.
Here are some important facts for you to take into account:
| Relevant data | Related value |
| Total electrical power of the Dolce Gusto (average) | 1,500W |
| Total usage time to prepare a coffee | 60sec = 0.01667h |
| Energy consumed to prepare a coffee (Wh) | 1,500W * 0.01667h = 25Wh |
| Energy consumed to prepare one coffee (kWh) | 25Wh * 0.001= 0.025kWh |
| Energy consumed when preparing 365 coffees (kWh) | 9.12 kWh |
| Approximate price per kWh | £0.3/kWh |
| Cost of preparing 365 coffees (one every day of the year) | £2.74 |
Once you have finished brewing, the thermoblock will heat the machine until it switches off. So after each preparation, don’t forget to switch off the coffee machine to avoid additional energy consumption, which, although minimal, is best avoided.
What are the energy-consuming components of a Dolce Gusto coffee machine?
If you don’t know all the components of a Dolce Gusto coffee machine, here is our Dolce Gusto troubleshooting guide, where you will find information about them. These coffee machines are made up of three zones. Below, we show you which components are in each of these zones:
| Coffee machine zone | Components |
| Upper level | Preparation lever, nozzle, capsule holder, beverage selector and sensors. |
| Central level | Control board with wiring, sensor output and piping. |
| Lower level | Thermoblock, pump, flow meter, fuses, piping and wiring. |
The most energy-consuming component in these coffee machines is the thermoblock. Of all the parts, this is the one with the most power, reaching about 1,500W when in operation.
This is followed by the water pump with 50W of power, whose consumption represents less than 5% of the thermoblock’s consumption. The control board and the LED light of the power button have an almost unnoticeable power consumption.
How does the energy consumption of the thermoblock and the water pump work?
When our Dolce Gusto coffee machine is switched on, the thermoblock starts to heat up to 86°C, increasing the machine’s energy consumption. When this temperature is reached, the thermoblock switches off, and the thermostat opens the circuit.
After the thermoblock, the next component that starts up in the coffee machine to brew coffee is the water pump. The operating time of this part is estimated to be between 8 and 33 seconds, and this is where its energy consumption lies.
The time that the pump runs on each segment of the selection bar, about the volume, is determined as follows:
- Segment 1 (lower) = 53 ml / 8 sec
- Segment 2 = 68 ml / 12 sec
- Segment 3 = 94 ml / 21 seg
- Segment 4 = 130 ml / 22 seg
- Segment 5 = 146 ml / 25 seg
- Segment 6 = 173 ml / 29 segment
- Segment 7 (cliff) = 230 ml / 31 seg
- Segment 7 (+ XL) = 300 ml / 33 seg
There is another moment when the thermoblock of the coffee machine heats up again, just after brewing a coffee. The coffee machine will signal this with the red power button for 2 or 3 seconds. However, this additional thermoblock operating time is less significant for energy consumption than the initial one.
Energy consumption of your Dolce Gusto coffee machine model
All models of Dolce Gusto coffee machines differ in their physical appearance and the location of their internal parts. However, the components and options offered by each coffee machine to the user will be the same for all models.
To help you better understand the similarities between one model and another in terms of power consumption depending on the power of each machine, here are the reference values of the best-selling Dolce Gusto models:
- Mini Me S = 1,500W
- Piccolo XS = 1,600W
- Infinissima = 1,500W
- Genio Plus = 1,600W
- Lumio = 1,600W
- Genio 2 = 1,460W
- Magesto = 1,460W
Conclusion
On average, a Dolce Gusto coffee machine spends just over £2.76 on energy consumption. If we compare this cost with the cost of the coffee pods, it will be less value of one box. So rather than worrying about electricity consumption, we should be concerned about getting good deals on coffee capsules.
There is no significant difference between the cost of one model of Dolce Gusto coffee machine and another. This is because all models have the same components regardless of their appearance.
If you want to save a little on the residual consumption of your coffee machine, don’t forget to switch the machine off after every use.
Related: My Dolce Gusto doesn’t pour water.
