Computers & Laptops

Computer Running Cost Calculator

What a computer costs to keep: electricity worked out for you, plus the maintenance, software and replacement costs you enter.

22 inputs Free, no sign-up

Your figures

Measured with a plug-in energy meter if you can. A power supply's rating is a ceiling, not a reading - most machines draw well under it.

Use fewer for a machine you only run on working days.

Rupees per unit, from your own bill. Tariffs differ by state, by connection and by how much you use, so this is the figure the result is most sensitive to.

Name each cost and say how often you pay it. Leave a row blank to skip it.

What the machine cost, divided by the years you expect to keep it. Usually the largest line and the one most often left out.

Try an example

Result

Your result

Enter your figures and the result appears here.

Estimates only. Rates, fees and specifications change. Confirm against the official source before you rely on a figure — see our disclaimer.

About this calculator

Electricity is the cost people think of and rarely the largest one. Software subscriptions, repairs, a share of what the machine cost and the internet it depends on are all real, and they arrive on different calendars.

This puts them on the same footing. Electricity is worked out from the power, the hours and your rate; everything else you enter with the period you actually pay it over.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the machine's power draw, measured if you can, and the hours and days it runs.
  2. Enter your electricity rate from your bill.
  3. Fill in the costs you know. Each row takes a name, an amount and how often.
  4. Leave a row blank to leave it out. Nothing is assumed for an empty row.

For the hourly figure alone, the PC cost per hour calculator is shorter.

The formula

Electricity a year = Power / 1000 x Hours a day x Days a year x Rate
Each cost a year   = Amount x (times it occurs in a year)
Total a year       = Electricity + everything else
Cost an hour       = Total a year / Hours of use a year

A monthly cost is multiplied by 12, a weekly one by 52, a daily one by 365.

SymbolMeaningUnit
Power What the machine draws W
Hours Running time a day h
Costs What you pay, and how often ₹

Worked example

A 150 W machine, eight hours a day, 22 days a month, ₹8 a unit, with ₹500 a month of software and ₹15,000 a year set aside for replacement:

Electricity  = 0.15 x 8 x 264 x 8   = 2,534.40
Software     = 500 x 12              = 6,000
Replacement                          = 15,000
Total a year                         = 23,534.40
An hour of use                       = 11.14

Electricity is under 11% of it.

Notes and limits

  • Replacement cost is usually the biggest line. A ₹60,000 machine kept four years is ₹15,000 a year whether you set the money aside or not.
  • The cost per hour is the figure to compare against a rented machine, a cloud instance or a job quote.
  • A machine used lightly has a high cost per hour even when the total is small, because most of the cost does not depend on use.
  • Nothing here is assumed. There is no default software cost, no default repair budget and no assumed depreciation rate.

What this calculation assumes

  • Every figure is one you entered. No software, maintenance or replacement cost is assumed.
  • A monthly cost is multiplied by 12, a weekly one by 52, a daily one by 365.
  • Anything left blank is not in the total - replacement most often.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a computer cost to run?

Electricity is usually the smaller part. On the worked example above it is under 11% of the total once software and a share of the purchase price are counted - and those are the figures most people leave out.

How do I work out a replacement cost?

Divide what the machine cost by the number of years you expect to keep it. A ₹60,000 laptop kept four years is ₹15,000 a year.

Why is electricity shown separately?

Because it is the only part that changes with how much you use the machine. The rest carries on whether it is switched on or not, which is why the two behave differently when you change your hours.

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