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How to calculate your gaming PC’s electricity cost
Use these two steps:
- Energy used (kWh) = average power (watts) ÷ 1,000 × hours used.
- Energy cost = energy used (kWh) × your electricity price per kWh.
A kilowatt-hour is the energy a 1,000-watt device uses in one hour. Clark Public Utilities explains the equivalent example of a 100-watt device running for 10 hours in its Calculate Consumption Activity.
Cost per gaming hour
For a 450-watt PC and an electricity rate of 18.31¢/kWh, the calculation is 450 ÷ 1,000 × $0.1831 = about $0.082 per hour, or 8.2¢. This is a worked example using the U.S. average rate shown by PlugCosts, not a universal or household-specific price. See its Gaming PC Electricity Cost Calculator for the example assumptions.
Cost per month
For four gaming hours a day over an explicitly assumed 30-day month, the same PC runs 120 hours: 0.45 kW × 120 hours × $0.1831/kWh = about $9.89. This calculation uses the stated 30-day convention. The PlugCosts calculator displays $10.03 for its example; a monthly figure can differ when the hours-per-month convention or other assumptions differ.
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To calculate your own monthly estimate, replace the example’s power draw, hours, and price with your figures. Use actual calendar-month hours if you want a calendar-specific estimate rather than a 30-day approximation.
What power draw should you use?
Use the PC’s average draw during the time you want to estimate, not the maximum capacity printed on its power supply (PSU). A PSU rating describes its power-delivery capacity; it does not tell you how much electricity the computer continuously uses. Draw varies with the game, settings, hardware, and whether the PC is idle or doing other work. The UK Energy Calc guide, marked updated August 2026, also advises using measured or estimated average system power rather than PSU wattage: Gaming PC Electricity Cost Calculator UK.
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Count gaming and idle time separately
If the PC stays on between gaming sessions, estimate each operating mode separately, since gaming and idle use can have different average draws. For example, calculate gaming energy as gaming-mode kW × gaming hours, then add idle-mode kW × idle hours. Multiply the combined kWh by your rate. This avoids treating every hour the PC is on as though it were running a game.
Decide what equipment is included
Be clear whether your estimate covers the tower alone or the full setup. A monitor adds its own electricity use; include its draw and hours if you want a tower-and-display estimate. Add other peripherals only if you have their power figures and want them counted. The historical LBNL estimate discussed below includes one display, so it is not directly comparable to a tower-only number.
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How to measure your PC’s actual electricity use
A plug-in watt meter can measure the electricity drawn by equipment connected through it. Clark Public Utilities recommends leaving the meter connected for several days to get a more accurate usage result. Measure representative days and include the mix of gaming and idle time relevant to your question. If you want to include the monitor, connect and measure it as part of the setup as well.
- Connect the PC, or the equipment you want included, through a compatible plug-in electricity meter.
- Use the setup as you normally would for several representative days, including gaming and idle periods if both matter.
- Read the meter’s recorded kWh for that period, then multiply by the number of days in your estimate period and divide by the measured days if you need a daily average.
- Multiply the resulting kWh by your electricity price per kWh for an energy-cost estimate.
A measured total can be more useful than guessing a wattage, but it only represents the equipment connected to the meter and the usage observed during the measurement period.
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Use your own electricity rate—and understand what the estimate covers
Use the unit price on your electricity bill or the applicable tariff for the time you use the PC. Calculator defaults and published averages are location- and date-specific; the 18.31¢/kWh U.S. example above is not the same as a UK tariff rate or a guaranteed current price for any household.
The simple kWh-times-unit-price calculation estimates the energy charge. Your bill may also reflect time-of-use rates, tiered pricing, taxes, delivery charges, fixed charges, or other adjustments, so the result does not necessarily equal the exact change in your full bill. For a useful comparison, state whether the estimate includes only gaming sessions or all powered-on hours, which equipment is counted, and whether the month is 30 days or a calendar month.
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What published gaming-PC power figures can—and cannot—tell you
There is no established universal current wattage for gaming PCs. Older measured and modeled figures are useful as historical examples, but they should not be treated as predictions for a newly built computer.
Quick Recap
- 1,394 kWh per year: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers’ 2016 estimate for a representative vintage-2014 gaming computer, including one display. It assumes an average of 4.4 hours per day in gaming mode and modeled use in other modes. The study says: “The results indicate unit energy consumption of 1394 kWh/year (based on an average of 4.4 h/day in gaming mode), including the display.” See Taming the Energy Use of Gaming Computers.
- 414 watts: A gaming-mode measurement reported in the same 2016 LBNL paper for its full-base system benchmark, using the Unigine Heaven benchmark. It describes that particular system and test, not every gaming PC.
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