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DocumentaryTube
Electricity Costs

How to Estimate Monthly Power Costs for an Always-On YouTube Streaming PC

Calculate an always-on YouTube streaming PC’s monthly energy cost from measured wall power, hours run, and your electricity rate.

By DocumentaryTube Team 4 min read
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To estimate an always-on YouTube streaming PC’s monthly electricity cost, multiply its average measured wall power in watts by the hours it will run, divide by 1,000, then multiply by your electricity price per kilowatt-hour (kWh). For a 30-day month, an always-on PC runs for 720 hours. Use your own measured power and tariff: there is no established universal wattage or monthly cost for a streaming PC.

Use this formula

Monthly energy cost = (average wall power in watts ÷ 1,000) × hours powered in the billing period × electricity price per kWh. The result estimates energy charges for the equipment included in your measurement. One kilowatt running for one hour uses one kWh; the kilowatt-hour is a common unit for measuring electrical energy, as described in the U.S. Department of Energy-hosted Duke Energy utility-bill guide.

For an always-on 30-day illustration, use 24 × 30 = 720 hours. For a closer estimate, use the actual number of hours in your billing period, since it may not be exactly 30 days.

Example calculation

Suppose your measured average wall draw is 150 W and your energy rate is $0.20 per kWh. For 720 hours, the estimate is (150 ÷ 1,000) × 720 × $0.20 = $21.60 in energy charges. This is an example of the arithmetic, not a claim about typical streaming-PC power or electricity rates. Replace both inputs with your measurements and tariff.

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Measure the power you actually use

Use average power measured at the wall while the computer is doing the work you expect it to do. A streaming PC’s draw changes with its workload, so a brief reading may not represent an entire month. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) advises measuring fluctuating power over a period and dividing the energy measured by that period to determine average power (DOE/FEMP guidance on measuring power).

  1. Set up the intended workload. Run the streaming software and the scene or game you plan to use, at the intended resolution and frame rate, along with other normally open applications. YouTube’s encoder settings guidance can help you reproduce the stream configuration; it does not give the PC’s power draw.
  2. Measure over a representative interval. Use a suitable wall-power meter that reports average power, or measure energy used during a known interval and divide by the interval’s hours. For example, divide the kWh measured over four hours by four to get average kW, then multiply by 1,000 to express it in watts. A plug-in electricity usage monitor is one possible tool; DOE/FEMP discusses measurement considerations but does not endorse a consumer model or validate a particular device’s accuracy.
  3. Repeat if your workload varies. If your channel alternates between different scenes or tasks, measure representative periods and combine them according to how many hours you expect to spend in each. Do not treat a short idle reading as the average for a PC that will encode or render continuously.

Define what is included

A tower-only reading excludes displays, lights, cameras, capture devices, audio equipment, and network gear. If you want the cost of the whole streaming station, include the devices you intend to count—YouTube notes that encoder setups can use external audio and video hardware in its computer live-streaming tips. Measure the station together where practical, or measure separate devices and add their energy use. Keep the same boundary when comparing two setups.

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Use the electricity rate that applies to you

Find your applicable energy price on your bill or tariff, expressed in currency per kWh. Bills can include kWh-based energy charges, fixed monthly charges, and demand charges tied to maximum power during a period. Some tariffs also vary by time of use or season. The formula estimates the energy-charge component; fixed fees ordinarily do not change just because the PC runs, while demand charges depend on the account’s rate structure. If your energy price changes by time period, calculate each period separately when practical and add the results. DOE/FEMP explains these rate distinctions in Evaluating Your Utility Rate Options.

As a narrow historical reference, DOE/FEMP’s computer purchasing guidance used 11¢/kWh, the average electricity price at federal facilities as of July 2024, for its annual-cost examples (Purchasing Energy-Efficient Computers). That figure is a federal-facility assumption from that date, not a current household rate or a recommended input for your calculation.

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Why there is no single “streaming PC” monthly cost

The cost depends on average measured wall power, run time, which devices are counted, and the applicable energy rate. Two computers both described as streaming PCs can have different workloads: YouTube’s encoder guidance concerns stream configuration, and its computer streaming tips describe possible external equipment, but neither publishes a general wattage or monthly electricity cost for an always-on YouTube streaming PC. Avoid substituting a power supply’s rated capacity or a component’s advertised maximum for measured average wall draw.

If comparing two rigs or operating choices, use the same workload and stream settings, hours, device boundary, and tariff assumptions. Where electricity rates vary by time, also account for when each setup runs.

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