Vitalik Buterin recommended keeping node energy usage below ~15 kW to allow residential operation and reduce reliance on centralized data centers

Quotes that support claims

If we want to set limits, we can start asking the question: what is the goal of those limits? Some possible answers are: Fixed costs should be low enough to ensure a highly competitive market Energy requirements should be low enough to run from a home (ie. max ~15 kW), so that Ethereum is strongly protected from dependency on data centers, which are easy censorship choke points

Vitalik Buterin proposed that before setting technical limits for Ethereum, it’s important to first define the purpose those limits are intended to serve. Some of the potential objectives include ensuring that fixed costs remain low enough to support a competitive and inclusive validator market, and that energy consumption stays within a range—approximately 15 kW—that makes it feasible to operate nodes from a residential setting. This would reduce dependence on large data centers, which pose censorship risks due to their centralized nature.