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To estimate the electricity cost of an always-on OBS stream, measure the average wall power draw of the equipment that stays on, multiply by its operating hours, then multiply the resulting kilowatt-hours by your applicable electricity rate. OBS itself does not have one standard power draw: the computer, workload, peripherals and local tariff all matter.
The monthly electricity formula
Electric utilities generally bill energy in kilowatt-hours (kWh): one kilowatt used for one hour is one kWh, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration explains. For a setup averaging P watts at the wall, running H hours per day for D days, calculate:
- Monthly energy: P × H × D ÷ 1,000 = kWh.
- Estimated energy charge: monthly kWh × applicable price per kWh.
For a 24/7 stream in a 30-day month, that becomes average watts × 0.72 = monthly kWh, because 24 × 30 = 720 hours. Each continuous watt of average draw therefore corresponds to 0.72 kWh over that period. This is arithmetic, not an OBS power-consumption benchmark.
Example with an explicitly assumed draw and rate
For illustration only, suppose the complete setup averages 100 W at the wall and the applicable energy rate is $0.20 per kWh. It would use 100 × 0.72 = 72 kWh in a 30-day month, giving an estimated energy charge of 72 × $0.20 = $14.40. Neither input is a typical OBS figure or a universal electricity price; replace both with your own measurement and rate.
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Measure the equipment that stays on
Count the computer running OBS and any monitors or peripherals that remain powered for the stream. The useful input is the average draw of that whole setup while it performs representative streaming work—not the computer’s power-supply rating. A PSU’s rated output describes its capacity, not the amount of electricity the computer draws from the wall.
Use a plug-in energy monitor if you do not know the draw
- Connect the relevant equipment through a plug-in electricity usage monitor that records cumulative kWh.
- Run the stream under representative conditions and measure the complete set of equipment you intend to include.
- If the monitor reports cumulative energy, divide the kWh used by the measurement duration in hours, then multiply by 1,000 to get average watts. For example, kWh ÷ hours × 1,000 = average W.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s guidance on measuring standby power says stable power can be read directly; when use fluctuates, measure energy over a period and divide by that period to determine average power. A longer representative measurement accounts better for changing activity than a brief reading.
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Use the electricity rate that applies to your usage
Use the marginal energy rate on your utility bill or rate schedule for the period in which the stream will run. Rates can differ by time of use or season. A simple kWh calculation estimates the energy charge only; a utility bill can also include demand charges and fixed charges, which do not necessarily rise by the amount calculated here. The U.S. Department of Energy’s overview of utility rate options explains these rate components and notes that advanced meters may provide hourly or 15-minute usage data.
As a dated point of reference, DOE FEMP used 11¢/kWh—the average electricity price at federal facilities as of July 2024—in its monitor cost calculations. That is a federal-facility assumption, not a universal or current residential rate. Your own tariff is the right rate for your estimate.
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What can change the estimate?
- Workload: streaming and encoding activity can affect the computer’s draw. There is no representative always-on OBS wattage established in the OBS Project Knowledge Base index.
- What you include: adding a monitor or other equipment changes the measured total if it stays powered for the stream.
- Hours and billing period: the 0.72 multiplier assumes continuous operation for exactly 30 days. For another schedule, use P × H × D ÷ 1,000 instead.
- Tariff: the applicable energy rate may vary by time or season, and the energy-only estimate does not account for every bill component.
When comparing two setups, use the same measurement boundary and compare average wall watts while streaming, equipment included, operating hours, applicable rate and rate period, and whether the figure covers energy alone or other charges too.
Reduce power use without disrupting the stream
If the computer must remain on but a display is not needed during the broadcast, turning off that monitor can reduce the equipment left running. DOE computer guidance recommends power management and turning off the monitor when a networked computer must stay on for another task. Whether that is practical depends on whether the display is needed to operate or monitor your production. See DOE FEMP’s computer guidance.
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