Perhaps you’re planning to bring in a treadmill to your home. Or, you’re a super-curious mind eager to know the energy consumption of these units!
Either way, you’ve come to the right place!
Investing in your treadmill may be a good idea if you have decided to stop visiting your local gym but don’t want to quit your cardio workouts.
These units are specially designed to make your workouts more fun, with some designs featuring heart monitor rates and other smart functionalities.
But then, have you ever figured out just how many amps a treadmill draws?
In this article, you will learn the number of amps the average treadmill uses. This information will help you connect the unit to the proper dedicated circuit to the exercise device to ensure your home gym is expertly optimized and safe from electrical shortages!
How Many Amps Does a Treadmill Draw?
Treadmills draw as low as under 5 amps to as high as 20 amps or more of electrical current, depending on the make and the running settings. Compared to many other devices in the home, 20 amps may qualify as a high consumption, but 5 amps is, at the very most, much the same as most electrical appliances.
You see, the usual energy consumption of an energy-efficient treadmill is about 600 to 700 watts. A couple of factors determine the amount of electricity you will consume at the end of the day, including your weight, the size and functionality of the appliance, how much the manufacturer has invested in making the appliance energy efficient, and how much you use it, among other factors.
At 600 to 700 watts of power, a treadmill will draw about 5 to 5.8 amps, assuming it’s connected to a 120-volt power outlet. Connect it to a 240-volt outlet, and the amperage is halved.
The formula for getting amperage is dividing the wattage by the voltage.
Here’s the formula:
Amperage = Wattage of the appliance/ Voltage
In our case:
Amp = 600/120
= 5 amps
So, a treadmill will draw 5 amps of electricity if its consumption is 600 watts per hour. Increase the wattage to 700 or 800, and the amperage will jump to 5.83 and 6.67, assuming you’re using a 120-volt outlet.
One thing worth noting is that, like any other multi-setting appliance around your home, a treadmill’s energy consumption varies with your chosen setting.
But usually, the wattage listed in electrical appliances is the maximum, so a 600-watt treadmill will draw much less than 5 amps if not running on the highest setting.
How Many Amps Does a NordicTrack Treadmill Use?
On an electrical supply of 120 volts, a Nordic Track Treadmill consumes between 3.75 to 5.00 amp of electricity. Attaching a watt meter to the treadmill indicates it draws between 4 and 6 Amps when inclined between 4 and 6 degrees. On the circuit, this represents anywhere between 3.75 and 5.00 amp.
The power consumption has been designed to be energy efficient, which means you can use it anytime and all the time.
NordicTrack treadmills are from Icon Health and Fitness and have been optimized to ensure user satisfaction; you will know this through the various options available.
These affordable treadmills are known to last longer, have a wider running surface, and are arrayed with many bells and whistles for a better user experience.
And even more, these treadmills have been optimized for better energy consumption.
Drawing about 6 amps at the maximum setting, this unit is one of the most efficient options. Use a dedicated circuit of ten to fifteen amps to protect your treadmill from an electrical surge, as sometimes the startup power can be much more than its usual power usage after it starts.
How Many Amps Does a Peloton Treadmill Use?
A Peloton treadmill consumes one of the lowest units of electricity for each hour you use it. It consumes an hourly rate of 3.25 amps of currents, which reduces users’ carbon footprint and helps them take charge of their electricity consumption.
Maybe you would prefer the Peloton treadmill because of the many functionalities it offers users.
Most importantly, it has been designed to reduce the amount of electricity consumed or the carbon footprint. This is why it appeals to newbies and veterans in the fitness business.
A Peloton machine is an excellent choice for home or public gyms because you will pay less at the end of the month. Compared to many other treadmill brands, a Peloton treadmill is also better for the environment.
But don’t forget that a dedicated circuit is usually best for gadgets like this to prevent them from power starvation or a short circuit. You always want to ensure that power surges have no impact on the treadmill.
How Much Does it Cost to Run a Treadmill?
The cost of running a treadmill depends on its energy usage and the amount of time you run it. A Peloton treadmill that draws 3.25 amps will consume 390 watts per hour, translating to 1170 Wh (1.17 kWh) per week and 60.84 kWh per year, assuming you run the unit 3 hours weekly. With the USA’s average electricity rate of 16.21 cents per unit, that will translate to 18.96 cents per week and $9.86 per year on electricity.
Let’s break it down.
We will start with the daily – let’s say you use your treadmill for an hour daily. We’ve seen that a Peloton treadmill pulls about 3.25 amps of electricity.
Let’s convert that to wattage:
Wattage = Voltage x Amperage
= 120 x 3.25
= 390 watts
If you use your treadmill for thirty minutes, you will slot 0.5h into the hourly variable. That’s 195 watt-hours!
Now, divide your answer by 1,000 to determine the kilowatt-per-hour consumption, which will determine how much you pay hourly.
= 195/5
= 0.195 kWh, or 0.2 kWh roughly!
Once you have the amount of electricity you will use in your 30 minutes of running, you can get the cost by multiplying that by the cost of 1kWh.
On average, a kWh costs 16.21 cents, or $0.16, in the United States.
So, in a day, your treadmill will cost you 3.2 cents!
Now, let’s assume that you run the treadmill 30 minutes every day, for 6 days a week!
That will be (3.2 x 6 )
= 19.2 cents
A year has 52 weeks, so assuming you keep it running at the same rate, you will end up spending $9.98 per year, which we can roughly say $10.
N/B The variance between the figure stated in our initial paragraph and the one obtained from our calculations results from rounding 0.195 to 0.2 in our calculations.
Do Treadmills Take a Lot of Electricity?
The answer depends on who you ask. But in our opinion, it doesn’t cost too much to run a treadmill. Of course, we will back up our answer with proof, such as a comparison table that entails common appliances around the home. In the section above, we determined that it costs about $10 to run a treadmill yearly if you work out for 30 minutes six days a week.
The table below assumes that each device runs for an hour three times a week, like a Peloton treadmill.
| S/N | Appliance | kWh (weekly) consumption | Total Cost (weekly) |
| 1 | Peloton Treadmill | 1.17kWh | $0.19 |
| 2 | Washing Machine | 7 kWh | $1.08 |
| 3 | Electric Dryer | 38.5 kWh | $5.94 |
| 4 | Microwave | 7.7 kWh | $1.19 |
| 5 | Dishwasher | 16.8 kWh | $2.59 |
| 6 | Flat Screen Tv | 1.2 kWh | $0.18 |
According to this calculator, a flat-screen TV is the only appliance that doesn’t cost more to run than a Peloton treadmill. But of course, one is better for your health, as numerous studies have shown.
Does the Treadmill Need a Dedicated Circuit?
Yes, it is advised that you use a dedicated circuit for your treadmill to prolong its lifespan and ensure it is not exposed to uncontrolled electricity. In addition, a dedicated circuit means the treadmill will get an adequate power supply and will not need to be shared with another device. This ensures optimal performance.
A dedicated circuit provides the right amount of electricity, stopping it short when there is an overload or an underload. Therefore, you need to ensure the device in question tallies with the electrical current of the dedicated circuit.
In other words, a dedicated circuit for your treadmill should be within the same amperage as the treadmill’s designated consumption rate. If it can be dedicated, that is even better.
Can I Use an Extension Cord for my Treadmill?
No, you should not use an extension cord for your treadmill for several reasons. First, it is dangerous to the user — if the cable is too long, it can cause accidents that are not only electrical related. An extension cord may not also be suitable for a treadmill because it is not easy to find one that will not cause a power shortage.
The extension cord and treadmill must be within the same amperage rating; ensuring the treadmill does not have a higher amp rate is especially important because that defeats the purpose.
An extension cord can cause two types of accidents when you use it with a treadmill. The first is that it can trip a user, and best believed that the fall can lead to an electrical spark because of the length of the cord.
The cord will likely be too long or short; you also want to avoid that to prevent power shortage.
The best thing to do when your treadmill doesn’t have a long enough cord is to move it closer to the dedicated circuit. If that means relocating the position, go ahead because it prevents accidents and power damage.
Conclusion
If you are thinking of installing a treadmill in your home, perhaps this article will be the nudge that helps you make the decision. You have seen that a treadmill consumes less energy than many appliances in the home, so power consumption is no longer a fear.
All you need is a dedicated circuit and a good pair of running shoes, and your Peloton or NordicTrack treadmill will help you stay in shape at a cheap rate yearlong.
