Computers & Laptops

Laptop Electricity Cost Calculator

What a laptop costs to run per day, month and year at your own electricity rate.

6 inputs Free, no sign-up

Your figures

Measured at the wall if you can. The charger's rating is a ceiling - a 65 W charger does not mean a 65 W laptop.

Use fewer for something you only run at weekends.

Rupees per unit (kWh), 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.

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

A laptop is one of the cheapest things in a house to run, and it is worth knowing by how much. At thirty watts for eight hours a day it costs a few tens of rupees a month — roughly a tenth of what a desktop with a graphics card in it costs.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the laptop's draw. Measure it at the wall, or divide the battery's watt-hours by the hours it lasts.
  2. Enter the hours a day and days a month.
  3. Enter your electricity rate from your own bill.

The formula

Energy a day  = Power / 1000 x Hours a day
Cost a month  = Energy a day x Days a month x Rate per unit
Cost a year   = Cost a month x 12
SymbolMeaningUnit
Power What the laptop draws W
Hours Running time a day h
Rate Your tariff per unit ₹/kWh

Worked example

A 30 W laptop, eight hours a day, 30 days, at ₹8 a unit:

Energy a day = 30 / 1000 x 8 = 0.24 kWh
Cost a month = 0.24 x 30 x 8  = 57.60

₹691 a year. A desktop doing the same work is commonly five to ten times that.

Notes and limits

  • Measuring at the wall includes the charger's conversion losses, which is right, because they are on your bill too.
  • An external monitor often uses more than the laptop it is plugged into.
  • The charger draws a small amount even with nothing connected. It is negligible on one charger and less so on a household full of them.
  • Charging the battery is part of this if the measurement was taken while it was charging. The laptop charging cost calculator costs the charge on its own.

What this calculation assumes

  • The power figure is one you entered and is treated as constant.
  • This is energy cost at the rate you entered, not a bill with its fixed charges and slabs.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a laptop?

At 30 W for eight hours a day and ₹8 a unit, about ₹58 a month or ₹691 a year. Your figure depends on the machine and your tariff, both of which this page asks for rather than assuming.

Is a laptop cheaper to run than a desktop?

Substantially, yes. Laptops are built around a battery and a small cooling system, so they are engineered to use little power. A desktop with a graphics card can use ten times as much for the same work.

Does leaving it plugged in all the time cost more?

A little. A full battery draws almost nothing, but the charger itself continues to use a small amount, and a machine that is awake rather than asleep uses considerably more.

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