PC power consumption cost calculator

Estimate electricity used by your PC setup during active use and while idle. Active means the computer is doing the work you measured. Idle means it is on but not doing that work. These states can draw different amounts of power.

Use wall measurements for the PC and the monitors or other equipment you want to include. Keep the same equipment in both measurements. A power supply maximum rating is the amount it can support, not the amount the PC uses throughout the day.

Enter hours for each state and the number of operating days in a year. Active and idle time must not overlap. The result repeats this daily schedule over those days; it does not measure or track the computer for you.

Daily input kWh = (active watts × active hours + idle watts × idle hours) ÷ 1000. Annual cost = daily kWh × operating days × electricity price.

Energy prices are entered in pence or cents per kWh unless the field names another unit. Divide by 100 to obtain pounds or dollars. Fixed supply charges are excluded unless explicitly entered. Use tax-inclusive bill prices for personal scenarios.

Read daily energy before the yearly cost. It shows how the two power measurements and their hours combine. The yearly cost then uses your operating days and selected price. An average monthly figure spreads the yearly total evenly; it is not a prediction of each bill.

These illustrative inputs are separate from your saved answers. Prices, use and performance are held constant for this worked scenario; they are not personal defaults.

Include monitors and peripherals once. Use whole-setup wall measurements or a verified electrical-draw estimate, not the power-supply maximum or component TDP. TDP is a component heat rating, not a whole-setup electricity measurement.

Active and idle hours together must fit within one day. Sleep and off use are excluded unless included in the measured idle schedule.

Power can change with the task, display settings and connected equipment. Use a measured average that matches the work you want to price. A short peak reading is not the same as average power over several hours.

Keep a short note of what the measurements cover. For example, a whole-setup reading may already include the monitor, so adding a separate monitor amount would count it twice. A different workload needs its own measured power and hours. If the PC is used on fewer days than the full year, enter those operating days rather than assuming daily use.

The estimate keeps the entered schedule and price constant. It includes only the equipment and time you supply, not the rest of the home. It does not compare purchase prices or calculate investment payback. An invalid edit keeps the last valid result visible with a warning.

Use tax-inclusive electricity prices in the units shown. UK reference prices use the stored Ofgem regional and payment record. Australian reference prices use the stored AER or Victorian network record. Check the period and source date shown with the result.

A published reference may differ from your plan. Use your bill price for the hours being modelled, especially if your tariff changes with time of day. Fixed supply charges are excluded. The calculator holds the selected price constant for the entered use.

Ask the equipment maker or an appropriate qualified professional if you cannot identify the setup power or the meaning of a rating. Use measurements and documentation that match the equipment you actually run.

Follow maker instructions for any meter and connected equipment. This cost estimate does not check socket capacity, electrical safety or equipment suitability. Keep the measurements and daily schedule so you can review what the total includes.