Popular XRP community member Vet shared a post showing just how extreme the electricity gap is between the XRP Ledger and Bitcoin, and the numbers are hard to ignore.
According to the data Vet cited, XRP’s network used roughly $73,000 worth of electricity to operate for an entire year.
Bitcoin, by comparison, is estimated to consume $8 billion to $12 billion in electricity annually, using industrial energy rates.
That’s not a small difference. That’s an entirely different scale.
Vet’s Core Point: XRP’s Efficiency vs Bitcoin’s Cost
Vet’s tweet focuses on one simple takeaway: XRP is massively more energy-efficient than Bitcoin, both at the network level and per transaction.
He points to estimates showing:
- XRP transaction cost in electricity: $0.0000028 per transaction
- Bitcoin transaction cost in electricity: $50–$80 per transaction
The implication is clear — Bitcoin’s proof-of-work model requires enormous energy input to secure the network, while XRP’s consensus system runs with minimal power consumption.
This is why XRP supporters often argue that the XRP Ledger is better suited for high-volume payments, especially in a world where energy use is becoming a bigger political and regulatory issue.
XRP used $73,000 in electricity to run the entire network for 1 year.
— Vet (@Vet_X0) February 15, 2026
Bitcoin used $8,000,000,000 – $12,000,000,000 in electricity to run the entire network for 1year. (Industrial electricity rate, not residential)
On per transaction basis this results in $0.0000028 per XRP Tx… pic.twitter.com/pVFWpC9b7p
Why This Comparison Matters
Bitcoin’s energy footprint has been controversial for years. Supporters argue it’s the price of true decentralization and unmatched security. Critics argue it’s inefficient and difficult to justify at scale.
Vet’s post taps into that exact contrast.
XRP’s network design doesn’t rely on mining, so it avoids the massive electricity burn that proof-of-work chains require. That makes XRP far cheaper to operate and easier to position as a “greener” blockchain in institutional conversations.
That said, energy cost isn’t the only metric that defines a blockchain.
Bitcoin’s security model is built around economic sacrifice; miners spend real resources to secure the network, which is part of why BTC is viewed as the most battle-tested asset in crypto.
XRP’s efficiency is real, but Bitcoin’s energy use is also part of what makes it uniquely resilient.
Still, Vet’s point lands: the gap is enormous, and as crypto adoption grows, network sustainability will remain a major talking point.
Read also: Here’s the XRP Price If Bitcoin Crashes to $40K in 2026
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