# Ethereum's Energy Consumption Dropped 99.98% Post-Merge, Cambridge Report Reveals The shift to proof-of-stake consensus dramatically improved Ethereum's energy efficiency. - **Source:** [Bitcoin News](https://brifing.si/source/d8aeaf1e-9839-4dad-9d25-7a6bf3fbeef8) - **Published:** 2026-07-13 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/0492eb8e-1809-40dd-9ff8-c52396b988ce ## A Revolutionary Change Ethereum's September 2022 'Merge' update transitioned the network from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. This shift resulted in a dramatic reduction in energy consumption. Previously comparable to Iceland's energy needs, the network's demand now equals just a few large buildings' consumption. ## Energy Efficiency by Numbers According to Cambridge's report, Ethereum's annual energy consumption dropped from 2.4 GW to 7.87 GWh - approximately 99.98% reduction. This equals about 0.90 MW daily consumption. Compared to traditional banking systems' 260 TWh annual usage, Ethereum's footprint becomes nearly negligible. ## Comparison with Competitors The report shows Ethereum's 7.87 GWh annual consumption sits between Solana's 13.4 GWh and NEAR's 5.11 GWh. However, Ethereum stands out for its efficiency relative to economic scale. The 105 watts per node average consumption demonstrates remarkable network optimization. ## Vs Traditional Systems Ethereum's new energy consumption is half of British Museum's needs and far below global platforms like Netflix or the Eiffel Tower's consumption. More striking is the 33,000-fold difference compared to traditional banking systems' 260 TWh annual usage. ## Environmental Impact The energy reduction brought 99.98% decrease in carbon emissions - from 10.3 million tons CO₂ to just 2.37 thousand tons CO₂e. This extraordinary achievement from a single architectural change addresses major sustainability concerns about blockchain technology. ## Industry Milestone Cambridge's report provides concrete evidence of proof-of-stake systems' energy efficiency potential. Ethereum's transformation sets a benchmark for the entire crypto sector, offering a crucial roadmap for projects developing environmentally friendly blockchain solutions. ## Sources covering this story - https://news.bitcoin.com/cambridge-report-reveals-ethereums-energy-consumption-dropped-99-98-post-merge/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._