How Much Power Does Your Nespresso Machine Need?

Last Updated on December 3, 2023

Nespresso machines are among the best devices for getting a great cup of coffee in a hurry. The brews are so delicious that many travellers wonder if they can take their espresso machine on the go: in an RV, sailboat, or other traveling setup.

You can, but hot water requires energy. You can have the best Nespresso machine in the world, but you’ll need a way to power it and you’ll need to know its energy needs. There’s nothing worse than discovering on an otherwise perfect vacation morning that the voltage in your inverter is not enough to heat the water.

If you’re a heavy coffee drinker who can’t go without Nespresso while on vacation, you can take your Nespresso machine on a plane, but you should know a few things about its electricity consumption.

What powers a Nespresso machine’s energy consumption?

Most of a Nespresso machine’s power usage comes from heating water. When you first turn the machine, the water from its water tank is heated by a boiler to raise the temperature. That’s when it uses the most energy.

The good news is that this only lasts a few minutes. The bad news is that you still might wish you could turn up the temperature on your Nespresso machine.

Most instant coffee makers heat water for a long time, but the Nespresso has a power-save feature that turns the heating element off after about nine minutes. 

The rest of the Nespresso machine’s electricity consumption happens when it forces the hot water through the hot coffee to extract and brew, which lasts only a few seconds.

The good news about a Nespresso coffee maker is that it only actively uses power for a short time. However, the power usage during those few minutes can be too much for some portable electricity setups.

How much power does the average Nespresso machine use?

The power your Nespresso machine uses depends on a few factors, including how many cups you’re brewing, the model, and the power standards in whatever country you happen to be in.

These are the wattages Nespresso provides in the user manuals for all its major models sold in North America:

For most usages, these machines actually draw less electricity. The posted wattages are the maximum, so you don’t have to worry about your 1400-watt machine suddenly drawing 1700 watts.

Improving a Nespresso machine’s efficiency

You can reduce the electricity consumption of your Nespresso machine and make it more energy efficient with a few small adjustments.

Some Nespresso machines come with additional features such as milk steamers. Although these features help make great coffee drinks, they use a lot of energy so you can forego them on the road and still enjoy decent coffee.

Maintaining your Nespresso machine is also key to saving energy. Regularly descaling it will ensure that it runs efficiently, resulting in a good cup of coffee and less power consumption.

Choosing the right power source

Many people use an inverter to power their household appliances while traveling. To calculate which size inverter you need to power your Nespresso machine, take the machine’s wattage and add 20 per cent. For example, to power a 1500-watt machine like the Vertuo Next you should get an 1800-watt inverter. You never want to use the maximum load of your inverter for an appliance.

Here is the inverter size we recommend for each of the major North American Nespresso models:

If you are using a battery as your power source, most coffee machines require an battery with an Ah rating of 85.

Depending on your circumstances, it may be more efficient to leave the Nespresso at home.

Taking a Nespresso machine can be a great way to enjoy delicious cups of coffee while traveling and enjoying a nomadic lifestyle. Before you go, check that you have the power to meet the machine’s electricity needs.

Image at top: © Chen Haohsuan | Creative Commons