# Tron Energy (coming soon)

Tron Energy is the network resource that pays for each USDT TRC-20 transfer. If
your address has none, Tron burns TRX from it to cover the fee. Soon you can
rent energy from Crypto APIs before you send and pay less per transfer, with no
TRX to lock, paid from your prepaid Crypto Balance, by API or in the dashboard.
Tron Energy and the Crypto Balance are both coming soon.

## Key facts

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Status | Coming soon |
| What you rent | Tron energy, delegated to your address |
| Used for | USDT TRC-20 and other contract calls |
| Energy for one USDT transfer | About 65,000 (about 130,000 to an address that has never held USDT) |
| Paid from | Crypto Balance (prepaid, USD), coming soon |
| Fill the Balance with | USDT on Tron |
| Private keys | Never needed |

## How do Tron energy and bandwidth work?

Tron has two resources. Bandwidth pays for the bytes of a transaction. Energy
pays for running a smart contract, and a USDT transfer is a smart contract call.
You get energy by staking TRX, by renting it, or the network burns TRX for you
at the moment of sending. Renting is the way to get energy without locking TRX.
[Learn about the TRC-20 token standard](/layers/trc-20).

## How will I rent Tron energy?

1. **Fill your Crypto Balance** — with USDT on Tron. The Balance is prepaid, in USD.
2. **Rent energy for an address** — by API or in the dashboard. Energy is
   delegated to the address you give us.
3. **Send your USDT transfer** — sign and send as usual. The transfer uses the
   rented energy instead of burning TRX.
4. **See every rental** — each rental is taken from your Balance and listed in
   your usage, with its cost.

Until Tron Energy is live, prepare USDT TRC-20 transfers with the
[Blockchain API](/products/blockchain-api/prepare-transactions).

## FAQ

**What is Tron energy?** Energy is the Tron resource that pays for smart
contract calls, such as a USDT TRC-20 transfer. If the sending address has no
energy, the network burns TRX from it to cover the cost.

**Why does my USDT TRC-20 transfer cost TRX?** Because the sending address had
too little energy, so the network burned TRX to pay for it. Renting energy for
that address before you send replaces most of that burn with a smaller rental
fee.

**What does "out of energy" or "energy is lower than necessary" mean?** The
address did not have enough energy or TRX to pay for the contract call, so the
transfer failed. Get enough energy for the address, or top up its TRX, and send
again.

**How will I pay for Tron Energy?** From your prepaid Crypto Balance, which you
fill with USDT on Tron. Each rental is taken from the Balance.

**Is renting energy cheaper than staking TRX?** Staking TRX gives you energy
without a fee, but you lock the TRX. Renting costs a fee per rental and locks
nothing.

**Do you need my private key?** No. Energy is delegated to your address by its
public address alone. You keep your keys and sign your own transfers.

## Pointers

- [Blockchain API](/products/blockchain-api)
- [Pricing](/pricing)