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Gaming PC Electricity Cost Calculator

Estimate gaming, idle and sleep electricity separately, then add your monitor. Enter measured wall power or clearly identified assumptions for your own setup.

Starting inputs are examples. Replace them with your own figures before using the result.

PC gaming

Average input watts — PC gamingActive hours per day — PC gaming

PC idle

Average input watts — PC idleActive hours per day — PC idle

PC sleep

Average input watts — PC sleepActive hours per day — PC sleep

Monitor / other

Average input watts — Monitor / otherActive hours per day — Monitor / other

Your price and period

Electricity price per kWhPrice entered asCurrency units (e.g. 0.30)Cents / pence (e.g. 30)Number of daysCurrency label

Example price only. Enter your own tariff. Currency is a label, not an exchange conversion.

Enter your figures and select Calculate.

Worked PC example

These are fictional teaching inputs, not recommended wattages for your hardware: 300 W gaming for 4 hours = 1.20 kWh; 60 W idle for 2 hours = 0.12 kWh; 3 W sleep for 18 hours = 0.054 kWh; and a separate 30 W monitor for 6 hours = 0.18 kWh. Total: 1.554 kWh/day, 46.62 kWh over 30 days, and 13.99 at an assumed price of 0.30 per kWh (rounded).

Why a 750 W power supply is not a 750 W electricity reading

A PSU rating describes its output capacity, not the power your computer continuously takes from the wall. Workload, components and conversion losses affect actual input. Enter measured whole-PC wall power for each mode. Do not add GPU or CPU component ratings to a wall measurement that already includes them.

The gaming, idle and sleep hours must total no more than 24. Any remaining hours are treated as zero consumption; add them to the appropriate state if the computer still draws power. The monitor can operate at the same time as the computer, so its hours are checked separately. The tool has one monitor row: combine devices only if their schedules match.

Comparing a different schedule

In the example, moving 2 hours from idle (60 W) to sleep (3 W) reduces estimated energy by 0.114 kWh/day. Over 30 days at 0.30 per kWh, that is about 1.03. This assumes the entered power values and schedules are accurate; it is not a guaranteed saving.

Measure representative use

Record a typical gaming session and a quiet desktop session separately with suitable equipment. Games, frame limits and background tasks can change the average. Include monitors and accessories separately only when the PC reading excludes them. ENERGY STAR explains computer energy efficiency and power management.

Use your own electricity price

Choose currency units for a price such as 0.30 per kWh, or cents/pence for a price such as 30 per kWh. Both represent the same rate. Changing the currency label does not convert money. Fixed charges, taxes and billing adjustments are excluded unless already included in your entered variable rate.

For peak/off-peak or tiered tariffs, calculate each applicable energy block separately. This flat-rate tool cannot reproduce every utility bill. The chosen number of days repeats the same daily pattern; adjust it for weekends, holidays or seasonal use.

Formula and measurement

For each row: kWh per day = watts × active hours ÷ 1,000. Add the rows, multiply by days, then multiply by price per kWh. Use average input power measured at the wall where possible. A suitable energy monitor recording complete-day kWh can be more informative than a short watt reading. Do not double-count equipment included in a whole-system reading.

The US Energy Information Administration explains watts and kilowatt-hours. Read our appliance electricity units guide for another worked example.

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Original calculator and teaching examples prepared 7 November 2026. Calculations run in your browser; this tool does not send your entries to a server. Site advertising and analytics are described in the privacy policy.