Computers & Laptops

Monitor Electricity Cost Calculator

What your monitors cost to run per month and year, at your own electricity rate.

6 inputs Free, no sign-up

Your figures

From the label on the back of the monitor or its energy label. Use the typical figure rather than the maximum.

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 monitor is a small load left on for a long time, which is how it adds up. Thirty watts for eight hours a day, five days a week, is about seventy units a year — per display.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter the wattage from the monitor's own label.
  2. Say how many identical monitors you have. For different models, total them with the multi-monitor power calculator first.
  3. Enter the hours, days and your electricity rate.

The formula

Energy a day = Power x How many / 1000 x Hours a day
Cost a month = Energy a day x Days a month x Rate per unit
SymbolMeaningUnit
Power One monitor's wattage W
How many Identical monitors
Rate Your tariff per unit ₹/kWh

Worked example

Two 28 W monitors, eight hours a day, 22 working days, at ₹8 a unit:

Energy a day = 56 / 1000 x 8   = 0.448 kWh
Cost a month = 0.448 x 22 x 8   = 78.85

Notes and limits

  • Brightness is the biggest lever. Dropping from full brightness to a comfortable indoor level can halve a monitor's consumption, and is easier on the eyes.
  • Sleep after a few minutes of inactivity is worth more than it sounds on a machine left on all day.
  • Standby draw is small but not zero, typically under a watt per panel.
  • The computer driving them is a separate figure; the PC electricity cost calculator takes it.

What this calculation assumes

  • The label wattage is treated as the running draw; brightness and content both change it.
  • All the monitors counted are assumed identical.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a monitor cost to run?

A 28 W monitor for eight hours a day over 22 working days costs about ₹39 a month at ₹8 a unit. Two of them roughly double it.

Does turning the brightness down save much?

Yes - the backlight is most of a monitor's consumption, so a large brightness reduction can approach halving the figure.

Is it worth turning monitors off at night?

Standby is already low, so the saving is small in rupees. Sleep settings during the day, when a machine sits unused for long stretches, save more.

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