What entertainment & office appliances cost to run
Individually small, collectively constant. A TV, a couple of computers, a router that never sleeps and a monitor left on add up to a steady background load that runs every hour you are awake.
| Appliance | Per month | Per year | On this assumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Television (LED, ~55in) | $2.49 | $29.83 | 90W for 5 h a day |
| Game console | $2.49 | $29.83 | 150W for 3 h a day |
| Desktop computer | $6.63 | $79.54 | 200W for 6 h a day |
| Gaming PC | $11.06 | $133 | 500W for 4 h a day |
| Laptop | $1.66 | $19.89 | 50W for 6 h a day |
| Monitor | $1.00 | $11.93 | 30W for 6 h a day |
| Wi-Fi router / modem | $1.33 | $15.91 | 10W for 24 h a day |
| Soundbar / stereo | $0.66 | $7.95 | 30W for 4 h a day |
| Projector | $2.76 | $33.14 | 250W for 2 h a day |
Each figure comes from that appliance's own usage model — a fridge is costed on how much of the day its compressor runs, a dishwasher on energy per cycle and cycles per week, an EV on miles driven. Open any calculator to change the assumption to yours.
Data basis
- Electricity price
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, June 2026 year to date, released 2026-08-26. Retrieved 2026-09-11. Average residential revenue per kWh. A benchmark average, not a utility tariff — it excludes the fixed charges, tiers, time-of-use windows, taxes and fuel adjustments on a real bill.
- International prices
- rounded typical household tariffs for each market, in that market's own currency unless the row says US$ equivalent. These are planning benchmarks with no single primary source; enter the per-kWh price from your own bill for an accurate figure.
- Last reviewed
- 20 August 2026. Next scheduled review 20 February 2027.
- Corrections
- Think a figure is wrong? Tell us at corrections@watt-dollar.com and see our corrections policy.
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