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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallYour bill depends on how many watts your desktop draws while the playlist is playing and what you pay per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Calculate it as average watts ÷ 1,000 × hours running × price per kWh. For a 30-day month running 24 hours a day, use 720 hours. A plug-in electricity meter can give you a useful measurement for your own setup; a computer’s power-supply rating is not its actual draw.
Calculate the cost for your desktop
First find the computer’s average power draw in watts while it is playing the playlist. Convert watts to kilowatts by dividing by 1,000, then multiply by hours of use and your electricity rate.
Cost = (average watts ÷ 1,000) × hours × price per kWh
- 30 days of nonstop playback: 720 hours.
- 365 days of nonstop playback: 8,760 hours.
- At a constant 100 W for 30 days: 100 ÷ 1,000 × 720 = 72 kWh. This is an arithmetic example, not a claim that a typical desktop draws 100 W.
Use the marginal energy charge on your own bill, in the same currency as the bill. If your tariff varies by time of day, use the rate that applies during the hours the computer is on. A bill may also include fixed fees and other charges that do not change directly with this additional electricity use.
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Measure the actual playback setup
Desktop power use changes with its components, settings, and workload. Playback draw can differ from both idle draw and full-load draw, so a published figure for another computer cannot reliably predict your bill.
- Plug the desktop into a suitable plug-in electricity usage meter, such as the P3 International Kill A Watt P4400 mentioned in Microsoft’s measurement example.
- Run the playlist in the configuration you intend to use, including the same display and peripherals if you want those included.
- Measure over a representative period and record energy in kWh if the meter provides it. If it reports only watts, use a representative average rather than a brief reading.
- Multiply measured kWh by your marginal electricity rate. If the meter reports average watts instead, use the formula above.
Be clear about what the reading covers: a meter between the wall and the desktop measures the desktop’s power supply draw, but not a separately powered monitor, speakers, or other devices. Add those separately if you want the whole setup’s cost.
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What published examples can—and cannot—tell you
Microsoft’s Windows Experience Blog measured one older PC with an Intel Q9550 processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 7200 RPM hard drive, and GeForce 8400GS graphics. It reported 102 W at idle, 4 W in S3 sleep, and 165 W under 100% CPU load. The system measurement excluded peripherals, and Microsoft cautioned that actual consumption varies. The 102 W figure was an idle baseline, not a test of YouTube playback. Microsoft’s 2011 measurement and calculation
At a constant 102 W for 720 hours, that system would use 73.44 kWh. Applying the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s preliminary 2025 residential average of 17.30¢/kWh gives about $12.71 for 30 days. That is an illustration using a historical computer measurement and a U.S. national average, not a current playback measurement or a prediction for every desktop. The EIA says its 2025 figures are preliminary and based on Electric Power Monthly tables published in February 2026. EIA electricity prices and factors affecting prices
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For context, the EIA’s preliminary 2025 average across all U.S. retail customer types was 13.63¢/kWh; its reported state annual averages ranged from 8.20¢/kWh in North Dakota to 35.72¢/kWh in Hawaii. Those are not a substitute for your own rate, and the national all-customer average is not the residential figure used in the example above.
Decide whether nonstop playback is necessary
If the playlist must keep playing, sleep mode will interrupt it. If continuous playback is not necessary, shutting down the desktop or allowing it to sleep during idle periods can reduce its energy use. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends enabling built-in power management and choosing the shortest timeout and lowest power mode compatible with the task; it says sleep and off modes will not shorten computer life. U.S. Department of Energy guidance on purchasing energy-efficient computers
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The Department of Energy’s 2026 guidance says leaving power-saving mode enabled can reduce computer energy use by up to 27% annually; that figure is not specific to YouTube playback. ENERGY STAR’s computer specification, effective October 2025, requires power-management behavior including display sleep within 15 minutes and system sleep within 30 minutes under specified inactivity conditions. Those settings are designed for inactivity, so they are not appropriate if the desktop needs to keep a playlist running without interruption. ENERGY STAR computer guidance
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Or let it run in the cloud
If your goal is an always-on YouTube channel playing uploaded videos, rather than a playlist playing locally on your desktop, StreamNeo runs the stream from the cloud. The setup is: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. Your computer and home connection do not need to stay on. It plays uploaded videos; it does not stream a camera or send streams to other platforms.
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- Nothing has to stay on at home.
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