The real cost of an electric composter: electricity, filters and lifespan

FoodCycler says a cycle in its machines costs only a few cents in electricity. In Quebec, that is almost true. But an electric composter is more than a plug: there are filter refills to buy, a $469 to $599 machine to pay off and a warranty that ends after one to three years.

So here is the full calculation, using the figures published by Lomi and FoodCycler and Hydro-Québec's residential rate at the time of writing, in October 2026. Amounts are in Canadian dollars, before taxes. To find out what these machines actually do with your food scraps, start with our main guide: Lomi, FoodCycler and co.: does an electric composter really make compost?

The starting figures: what the manufacturers publish

We picked three models whose prices are listed in Canadian dollars by their manufacturer: the Lomi 3, and the FoodCycler Eco 3 and Eco 5. All the data in the table comes from the manufacturers' websites. These are not independent measurements: we found no third-party measurement published on the energy use of these recent models.

Electricity: a few cents per cycle at Rate D

Under Hydro-Québec's residential Rate D, in effect since April 1, 2026, energy has two prices: 7.065¢ per kWh up to 40 kWh times the number of days in the consumption period, then 11.142¢ per kWh for the rest. The system access charge (46.154¢ per day) does not change, whether you add an appliance or not.

Which price applies to your composter's kWh? The price of your last tier. Divide the consumption on your bill by the number of days in the period: below 40 kWh a day, each added kWh costs 7.065¢; above that, for example in winter in an electrically heated home, it costs 11.142¢. Hence our ranges.

The calculation fits on one line: kWh per cycle × price per kWh. For the Eco 5: 1.5 kWh × 7.065¢ = 10.6¢, or 1.5 kWh × 11.142¢ = 16.7¢ per cycle. For the three models:

• FoodCycler Eco 3 (0.9 kWh): 6 to 10¢ per cycle;
• Lomi 3 (1 to 1.1 kWh depending on the mode): 7 to 12¢ per cycle;
• FoodCycler Eco 5 (1.5 kWh): 11 to 17¢ per cycle.

That is not much, but it is more than FoodCycler suggests: its FAQ says an Eco 5 cycle "should not cost you more than a couple of cents." Over a year, electricity remains a small expense:

The formula: kWh per cycle × cycles per week × 52 × price per kWh. Example, the Eco 5 every day: 1.5 kWh × 7 × 52 = 546 kWh; 546 kWh × 11.142¢ = $60.84.

On Rate Flex D, watch out for peaks

On Rate Flex D, in winter (December 1 to March 31), each kWh used during a peak demand event costs 46.463¢. A 1.5 kWh cycle billed entirely at that price would cost almost 70¢. If you are on this rate, avoid running the machine during peaks; we explain these periods in saving energy in winter.

Filters: the real recurring expense

Both brands trap odours with a charcoal filter that needs refilling. That is where the running cost is decided.

Lomi says its filters perform best when replaced every three months or every 45 cycles. A refill costs $35.99, or $32.39 with a subscription delivered every three months. In our calculation, the refill is changed as soon as either threshold is reached: four refills a year up to about three cycles a week, nearly six refills at five cycles a week and just over eight at seven cycles a week. The charcoal wears out faster with very strong-smelling foods (fish, broccoli, curries), Lomi warns. A small inconsistency: the same page offers an in-app reminder every 45 days. If you follow it to the letter, count on eight refills a year instead, about $290, whatever your use.

The practical takeaway: above three cycles a week, waiting until the bucket is full before starting a cycle directly delays the next refill.

FoodCycler counts about 500 cycle hours per refill instead, usually three or four months. A refill costs $39.99 and fills the Eco 3 filter as well as the Eco 5's. Since a cycle lasts 4 to 9 hours, a refill lasts 55 to 125 cycles.

This is not just a calculation on paper. In 2021, the Australian consumer association CHOICE tested the FoodCycler sold by Breville, a model with two filters plus a lid filter. At seven cycles a week, it estimated electricity at 86 Australian dollars a year and filters at $223, a little over 70% of the running costs. Australian prices do not carry over here, but the proportion speaks for itself. CHOICE, which does not recommend the machine, also noted intermittent high-pitched sounds, annoying enough that the team moved it out of its test kitchen during cycles.

Electricity and filters: the cost per year

Each range goes from the cheapest case (first kWh price, short cycles, Express mode) to the most expensive (second kWh price, long cycles, Grow mode).

Lomi: refills at the single-unit price. FoodCycler: 500-hour rule; if you would rather change the charcoal every three or four months without counting hours, plan on $120 to $160 of filters a year. At low use, the gap between the brands comes mostly from this: Lomi's three-month rule leads to four refills a year, even if the machine rarely runs.

Purchase price, warranty and lifespan

That leaves the biggest piece: the machine. At the time of writing, the Lomi 3 sells for $599, the Eco 3 for $469 and the Eco 5 for $549. To spread that price over the years, you would need to know its lifespan. Yet neither Lomi nor FoodCycler states one on the pages we consulted. The only benchmark is the warranty.

• FoodCycler: three years from delivery for the Eco 3 and Eco 5. It covers manufacturing defects, not parts designed to be replaced, such as the charcoal. It cannot be transferred (worth knowing if you buy second-hand) and applies to purchases made on the manufacturer's website or on Amazon, not from third-party Amazon sellers. Machines obtained through a municipal program follow their own terms.
• Lomi: one year with the machine alone, three years with the Membership Plus subscription, but only as long as it stays active.

If the machine lasts exactly as long as its longest warranty, three years, its price alone works out to $156 (Eco 3), $183 (Eco 5) or $200 (Lomi 3) a year. If it lasts five years, an assumption nothing guarantees, these amounts drop to $94, $110 and $120.

The Lomi membership, by the numbers

Lomi also sells its machine for $499 with the Membership Plus subscription: $150 plus tax a year, billed starting three months after purchase, for four refills (about a year of use, according to Lomi) and the three-year warranty. Over three years, this option comes to $949 ($499 + 3 × $150). The machine alone, with its starter filters for about three months and 11 refills bought one at a time, comes to about $995 ($599 + 11 × $35.99). The membership is therefore slightly cheaper and triples the warranty, as long as you do not cancel it. Above 45 cycles per three months, you will need extra refills either way.

And when the machine finally gives out, have it recycled: we explain where to drop off an electrical appliance in recycling old electronics and appliances.

The real cost of an electric composter, all in

Adding up the machine spread over three years, electricity and filters, here is what an electric composter really costs per year.

Electricity accounts for only about 3 to 12% of these amounts. For the Lomi sold alone, our totals do not deduct the starter filters included with the machine, which inflates them slightly.

Redo the calculation with your own numbers

1. Electricity: kWh per cycle × cycles per week × 52 × price of your last tier (7.065¢ or 11.142¢).
2. Filters: refills per year × refill price. Lomi: 4 a year, or cycles per year ÷ 45 if that is more. FoodCycler: cycles per year × hours per cycle ÷ 500.
3. Machine: purchase price ÷ number of years of expected use.
4. Total: add up all three, then add taxes to get what you will really pay.

What about bokashi, worm composting or the brown bin?

Next to these amounts, the other options for an apartment have a big advantage: no electricity, no filter to buy.

• Bokashi. From an online seller that lists its prices in Canadian dollars, a one-bucket starter kit costs $99.50 to $120.50. After that, the main recurring expense is bokashi bran, at $22.50 a kilo. According to this seller, one kilo ferments about five full buckets and lasts an average family three to four months: $67.50 to $90 a year. Over three years, expect about $100 to $130 a year, all in. To get started, see our beginner's guide to bokashi in an apartment.
• Worm composting. No electricity and no filter: the expense comes mostly at the start, for the bin and the worms. We explain how to start a worm bin in a condo.
• The brown bin. Where collection exists, it costs you nothing extra to use. Lomi itself suggests emptying its machine's output into the organics pickup bin, and admits on its product page that "technically speaking it's pre-compost." With a brown bin, an electric composter mainly serves to reduce volume and odours until pickup day; CHOICE measured an 85 to 88% volume reduction with the FoodCycler it tested. To find out what goes in your bin, see what goes in the brown bin and our guide to the brown bin in Quebec.
• Backyard compost. If you have a patch of yard, an outdoor composter uses nothing either: see how to set up a home composter.

An electric composter can have its place, for example in a home with no food waste collection and no yard. But buy it for what it does, not to save money: the electricity it uses costs almost nothing in Quebec; the filters and the machine itself are what cost you.

Sources

• 2026 Electricity Rates, effective April 1, 2026, Hydro-Québec, 2026.
• Lomi 3 Food Recycler, Lomi, 2026 (prices checked in October 2026).
• Filter Refill, Lomi, 2026 (prices checked in October 2026).
• Carbon Refill Pack, FoodCycler, 2026 (prices checked in October 2026).
• FAQ, FoodCycler, 2026.
• Warranty Policy, FoodCycler, 2026.
• Breville FoodCycler first look review, Rebecca Ciaramidaro, CHOICE, 2021.
• Premium Bokashi Bran (1 kg), Bokashi Living, 2026 (prices checked in October 2026).