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There is no established universal winner: the available evidence does not show that Linux or Windows always uses less power on the same PC while streaming YouTube around the clock. To find your cost, measure the same computer running the same playback under each operating system, then multiply its average wall draw by your electricity rate. Hardware, power settings, drivers, background tasks, and the video workload all matter.
How to calculate a PC’s 24/7 electricity cost
Watts (W) measure power at a moment; kilowatt-hours (kWh) measure energy used over time. For an estimate based on average power:
Average watts ÷ 1,000 × hours = kWh
kWh × your price per kWh = energy cost
For a continuous run, use the full period you want to estimate: average watts ÷ 1,000 × hours per day × days × your tariff per kWh. Use the energy rate on your own bill. The resulting figure is an energy-cost estimate; taxes, fixed charges, and other bill components may change the total amount you pay.
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For example, a hypothetical PC averaging 100 W for 24 hours uses 2.4 kWh: 100 ÷ 1,000 × 24. Multiply 2.4 by your tariff to estimate one day’s energy cost. This is arithmetic, not a claim about what a particular streaming PC consumes.
Why Linux and Windows cannot be ranked from the available figures
A fair answer requires a controlled comparison on the same physical computer. Microsoft’s Windows power-efficiency documentation identifies the hardware platform, Windows power management, active power policy, drivers, services, apps, and settings as factors affecting energy use. That explains why an operating-system label alone cannot predict a particular PC’s draw; the documentation is not a Linux-versus-Windows test. Microsoft Learn: Results for the Idle Energy Efficiency Assessment.
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Streaming is active work, not simply an idle PC left switched on. A 2022 IEEE paper analyzing 447,000 YouTube streaming events models client-side power and quality, with device, codec, resolution, and bitrate among relevant variables. Its scope is the end-user client, and it does not report a controlled experiment comparing identical Linux and Windows PCs streaming continuously. “Modeling of Energy Consumption and Streaming Video QoE using a Crowdsourcing Dataset”.
The European Commission Joint Research Centre’s computer-procurement report summarizes a referenced study in which active consumption for common office tasks, including video streaming and browsing, was comparable for most tasks. It also notes that demanding graphics and CPU workloads such as gaming can increase consumption. This is not a direct Linux-versus-Windows test and should not be treated as a prediction for your PC or stream. European Commission Joint Research Centre: Technical report on Green Public Procurement criteria for computers.
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Idle readings can help describe a machine’s baseline, but they do not answer what it draws during playback. Microsoft Learn calls idle consumption a lower bound; the Windows Experience Blog likewise cautions that idle assumes the least power a powered-up system would consume. Measure the actual workload rather than substituting an idle figure.
Measure the same PC under both operating systems
A plug-in electricity usage monitor or watt meter can measure the computer’s draw at the wall. No particular model is endorsed here. The important part is to keep the comparison consistent and measure long enough to account for changing playback and background activity.
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- Keep the physical setup fixed. Use the same PC, power supply, outlet, peripherals, and display configuration. Decide whether the monitor is included in the measurement and treat it the same way in both runs.
- Match the streaming workload. Use the same video, browser and browser version where possible, resolution, playback quality, network connection, and relevant settings. Record codec or quality details when available; YouTube playback conditions can affect client-side energy use.
- Make the power settings comparable. Prevent the PC from sleeping and ensure playback continues. Let startup activity settle, and note material updates, scheduled tasks, or other background work that could skew one run.
- Measure at the wall. Record average watts and, preferably, cumulative kWh over an extended playback period rather than relying on one momentary reading. A stable measurement sequence described in Microsoft’s Surface energy disclosure includes a 15-minute wait after startup; that is context for its disclosed procedure, not a universal Linux-versus-Windows benchmark rule. Microsoft Legal: Energy efficiency.
- Repeat if readings fluctuate. Run each operating system more than once or extend the measurement period when values vary. Record the elapsed time and any unusual activity so the comparison is interpretable.
- Calculate each cost separately. Convert measured average watts to kWh for the recorded hours, then apply the same tariff from your bill to both results. State the period, tariff, and whether the measurement includes peripherals; do not imply that a short run proves an exact annual bill.
The meaningful result is your paired measurement, not a general OS ranking. If the difference is small relative to normal variation between runs, the measurement does not support a confident claim that one OS is cheaper for your setup.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What an older Microsoft example can—and cannot—show
Microsoft’s Windows Experience Blog published a useful illustration of the calculation in 2011, but its values are historical and tied to one older machine. The author reported 157 W for one hour, costing $0.0157 at an assumed $0.10/kWh. For that specific system, the post measured 102 W at idle and calculated 73.44 kWh over 30 days, or $7.34 at the assumed rate. The system was a 2011-era Intel Q9550 PC with a GeForce 8400GS; the readings excluded peripherals such as a monitor, and the post noted that a watt meter’s readings varied with spikes. These numbers demonstrate the arithmetic only—not a current PC estimate, a streaming measurement, or evidence for either operating system. Microsoft Windows Experience Blog: Measuring and reducing your PC’s electricity cost.
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Reduce uncertainty before estimating a monthly bill
- Measure the stream rather than an idle desktop; the two workloads are not interchangeable.
- Use average wall power or accumulated kWh across a meaningful playback interval, not a single fluctuating reading.
- Keep resolution, video, browser, peripherals, and power settings matched when comparing operating systems.
- Use your actual per-kWh energy rate, and distinguish energy charges from the rest of the bill.
- Report the measurement period and setup alongside the result so another reader does not mistake it for a universal PC cost.
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