How much does a laptop cost to run?
At the current price cap, a laptop costs about 7.9p per working day (6 hours), or around £20.59 a year with typical use.
Laptop
- An hour
- 1.3p
- A day used
- 7.9p
- A week
- 39.5p
- A month
- £1.72
- Energy a year
- 78.2 kWh
50 W for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, at 26.32p per kWh.
Excludes the daily standing charge, which you pay whatever you use.
How it compares
Yearly cost with typical use, at your unit rate.
Laptop running costs
At 26.32p per kWh, with typical use of 6 hours a day, 5 days a week.
| Period | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Per working day (6 hours) | 0.3 kWh | 7.9p |
| Per week | 1.5 kWh | 39.5p |
| Per month | 6.52 kWh | £1.72 |
| Per year | 78.2 kWh | £20.59 |
How the cost varies
A small 20 W laptop to a 100 W gaming or workstation laptop, for 6 hours.
| Energy use | Per working day (6 hours) | Per year (typical use) |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | 3.2p | £8.23 |
| Typical | 7.9p | £20.59 |
| Higher | 15.8p | £41.17 |
Home office appliances compared
Yearly cost with typical use, at 26.32p per kWh.
| Appliance | Per hour | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi router | 0.3p | £23.06 |
| Laptop (this page) | 1.3p | £20.59 |
Ways to spend less
- Lower the screen brightness. The screen is one of the biggest users of power in a laptop.
- Use sleep rather than leaving the laptop on with the lid open when you step away.
- A laptop uses much less than a desktop PC with a monitor, so it's the cheaper choice for everyday work.
How we calculate this
We take a typical laptop at 50 watts, used 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, and multiply the energy it uses by the Ofgem price cap unit rate of 26.32p per kWh.
One working day (6 hours) uses about 0.3 kWh. Use the calculator above with your own appliance’s power and how you use it for a closer figure.
Questions people ask
How much does a laptop cost to run a year?
With typical use (6 hours a day, 5 days a week), about £20.59 a year at the current price cap, or £1.72 a month.
Does leaving a laptop plugged in cost money?
Very little once it's charged. A fully charged laptop on charge draws only a few watts, which costs pennies a week.
How much does working from home cost in electricity for a laptop?
About 8p a day, or around £20 a year, for a typical 50 W laptop used 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Heating and lighting usually cost far more than the laptop.
Does this include the standing charge?
No. The standing charge (54.83p a day under the current cap, about £200.13 a year) is a fixed daily cost for being connected. It does not change with how much you use any appliance.