How much does it cost to leave a computer on all night?
2 x 30 = $6.00 for 200W per 10 hour night over 30 days. Note my rates are fairly cheap. Some places its 20 cents or more which would double the cost.
The laptop will consume about 2 kWH per day and in the US this should cost about $0.20.
If you use your computer more than once per day or for a substantial amount of time, it's best to leave it on. So long as you reboot at least once a week, it's okay to always keep it powered on.
100% Efficient, 24/7, 365
To run a 100% efficient 600W PSU for 1 hour simply take your kWh of the unit (0.6kWh for 600w) and multiply it by the kWh rate (currently 37p or £0.37). 0.6 x 0.37 = £0.22 cost per hour of use. An Entire day is simply your hour cost (£0.22) multiplied by 24 = £5.28.
Generally speaking, if you will be using it in a few hours, leave it on. If you're not planning on using it until the next day, you can put it in 'sleep' or 'hibernate' mode. Nowadays, all device manufacturers do stringent tests on the life cycle of computer components, putting them through more rigorous cycle testing.
To calculate the cost of running your PC at full load for one hour, you need to divide the watt usage by 1000 and multiply the result by your kWh. If your PC uses 300 watts while gaming, then one hour of play time would cost you just under 4 cents.
A complete desktop uses an average of 200 Watt hours (Wh). This is the sum of the average consumption per hour of the computer itself (171 W), the internet modem (10 W), the printer (5 W) and the loudspeakers (20 W). Assuming that a computer is on for eight hours a day, the annual consumption comes to 600 kWh.
Laptops typically consume 20-50 Watts of electricity that can be trimmed down in power saver modes. Desktops on the other hand use about 60-200 Watts of electricity. A lot of it depends on the type of screen.
| Type | Avg Watts | Cost / hr* |
|---|---|---|
| Macbook (15 inches) | 87 W | 1.13¢ |
| Other Laptops (15.6 inches) | 60 W | 0.78¢ |
| Other Laptops (17 inches) | 90 W | 1.17¢ |
| Gaming Laptops | 180 W | 2.34¢ |
In my experience, it's okay to leave your computer on continuously. I have run my laptops nonstop for several weeks at a time with no adverse effects. Modern computer hardware is very robust, and as long as it's properly maintained, continuous operation is generally not an issue.
How long can a PC stay on?
Theoretically, as long as your critical components aren't constantly running at a high temperature, you can keep your desktop running 24/7. If your PC normally idles at 30C, you have nothing to worry about. You shouldn't have any hardware problems or slowdowns.
If you set up the system to run 24/7 make sure your hardware is capable of doing it. Was this reply helpful? Any computer will run 24/7 if you do not log off, shut down, hibernate or sleep. Check your power option settings and turn them all off.
How much electricity does a laptop use per hour in the UK? A laptop typically uses about 50 watts of electricity, the equivalent of 0.05 kWh. This means that if a laptop is on for eight hours a day, it will cost 5p a day to run the laptop (based on an average energy unit cost of 12.5 p/kWh).
According to energy advice blog EcoCostSavings, a modern TV uses around 58.6 watts when operational and 1.3 watts when on standby. In terms of power consumption, it ranges between 10W to 117W when in use versus 0.5W to 3W when on standby.
Computers use between 100-300W per hour, however they are on for more than just an hour. Computers that are left on 24/7 (all day) each day will consume as much as 1,440 watts (1.44kW) of power; meaning that if your computer was running for 24 hours straight it would be using up 144kWh which costs about $6.71 USD.
A complete desktop uses an average of 200 Watt hours (Wh). This is the sum of the average consumption per hour of the computer itself (171 W), the internet modem (10 W), the printer (5 W) and the loudspeakers (20 W). Assuming that a computer is on for eight hours a day, the annual consumption comes to 600 kWh.
| Type | Avg Watts | Cost / hr* |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Desktop Computer (iMac) | 100 W | 1.3¢ |
| LCD Monitor (17 inches) | 80 W | 1.04¢ |
| CRT Monitor (17 inches) | 35 W | 0.455¢ |
| Other Desktop computers | 60 W | 0.78¢ |
Leaving your computer on overnight
Our recommendation is to turn off your computer when you go to bed, as it saves you a bit of money on your electricity bill. However, for tasks to run during the night (e.g., backup, ScanDisk, Defrag, updates, or a virus scan), you'll need to leave your computer on while you sleep.
A gaming PC uses between 400 and 700 watts of power depending on its hardware configuration and software usage. That translates to around $8 per month, assuming you use your computer for five hours each day and pay an average of $0.15 per kilowatt-hour.
