How much does it cost to run a laptop?
A laptop is a personal computing device designed to balance portability with processing power, drawing relatively modest electrical demand compared to desktops or larger appliances. Most modern laptops operate on efficient processors and rely on battery technology that pushes the device to use less energy than stationary alternatives, making them among the lowest-energy computing tools available for day-to-day work, learning, and entertainment.
Laptop running cost calculator
- Per day
- $0.08
- Per month
- $2.04
- Per year
- $24.48
- CO₂ / year
- 57.6 kg
Based on 144 kWh per year. Adjust the price per kWh to match your latest electricity bill for an exact figure.
At 60 watts used 8 hours a day, a laptop costs about $0.08 per day, $2.04 per month and $24.48 per year on an average rate of 17¢ per kWh — roughly 144 kWh and 57.6 kg of CO₂ over a year. Enter your own electricity rate and usage in the calculator above for a figure matched to your bill.
The energy consumption of a laptop hinges primarily on what you're actually doing. When you're typing emails, browsing the web, or working in a document, the processor operates in a low-power state and the display handles most of the electricity draw. Intensive tasks like video rendering, 3D modeling, or gaming wake up the graphics processor and push the CPU to higher performance states, sometimes doubling or tripling power draw. Understanding this variability helps explain why two identical laptop models in two different households might have noticeably different energy footprints: one person's light browsing and word processing workflow demands far less than another's video conferencing and design work.
Battery health and charging habits represent a hidden layer of laptop efficiency that many users overlook. A degraded battery forces the laptop to draw more power from the wall during operation because the battery cannot hold or deliver charge efficiently. Keeping your battery in good condition by avoiding complete discharges, not leaving the device plugged in constantly for months on end, and using manufacturer-recommended chargers extends the useful life of the battery and maintains the overall system efficiency. The charger itself, though often ignored, can also vary in quality—cheaper third-party chargers sometimes waste energy during conversion, so using the device's original charger or a certified equivalent matters more than many people realize.
Display brightness is one of the easiest and most direct levers for controlling laptop energy use. The screen consumes a substantial portion of total power, and running it at maximum brightness when the ambient light doesn't require it is a common and easily correctable inefficiency. Most laptops default to auto-brightness or allow you to adjust brightness in software or via keyboard controls; reducing it to comfortable levels—often much lower than the default—can meaningfully reduce energy consumption without harming productivity or user experience. Newer screens with LED or OLED backlighting are already more efficient than older LCD panels, but the brightness habit applies to all of them.
When selecting a laptop for energy awareness, pay attention to processor generation and class rather than brand name alone. Newer processor architectures are designed specifically to reduce idle power draw and scale efficiency across workload ranges. A current-generation Intel Core or AMD Ryzen processor, even at a lower tier like a U-series or equivalent, will typically be more efficient than an older high-performance model. Similarly, integrated graphics (the GPU built into the processor) use far less energy than a discrete graphics card, so unless you genuinely need professional graphics capabilities or gaming performance, a machine with integrated graphics will run cooler and cheaper to operate. Battery capacity and fast-charging technology are less about total energy use and more about convenience, but a larger battery capacity can sometimes be paired with more efficient components, so it's worth checking the full specs.
Size and resolution also play subtle roles in efficiency. Smaller laptops with 13-inch or 14-inch screens draw less power for the display than 17-inch models. Higher-resolution screens (like 2K or 4K) demand slightly more processing power to render content, though modern panels are efficient enough that the difference is modest compared to the overall system draw. Ultrabooks and lightweight machines tend to be engineered for efficiency precisely because they need to deliver reasonable battery life in a compact form, so choosing a slim device with a reputable battery rating often aligns naturally with low energy operation.
Frequently asked questions
- Does leaving a laptop plugged in overnight waste significant energy?
- Once a modern laptop battery reaches full charge, the power adapter and battery management circuitry reduce the charging current to a trickle. The laptop itself is not using much power at that point. However, leaving the device on and plugged in—especially if it's running background processes, lighting, or fans—does waste energy. The most efficient practice is to charge the laptop to full, then unplug it and use it normally, or shut it down completely. Leaving it plugged in while powered off wastes almost nothing.
- Does closing the lid put a laptop into a low-power sleep mode, or does it shut down completely?
- Closing the lid typically puts a laptop into sleep mode, where most components power down but the system remains alert and can resume quickly when the lid opens. Sleep mode uses far less energy than active operation but more than a full shutdown. If you're not going to use the laptop for hours or days, shutting it down completely is more efficient than leaving it in sleep mode. For short breaks during the workday, sleep is appropriate and convenient.
- Are gaming or video-editing sessions significantly more expensive to run than regular web browsing?
- Yes. Graphics-intensive tasks activate the CPU and GPU at high performance levels, which increases power draw substantially—potentially two to three times higher than light browsing or document editing. If energy cost is a concern and you do heavy computational or graphics work regularly, the runtime cost of those sessions will be noticeably higher than your daily general-purpose usage. Switching to lower graphical settings or limiting screen refresh rates during demanding tasks can help reduce the impact.
- Should I buy a new, more efficient laptop just to save on energy costs?
- That depends on the age and condition of your current machine. A well-maintained five-year-old laptop might be only 20-30% less efficient than the latest model, but the cost of a new device rarely justifies that energy savings alone. However, if your laptop is slowing down, the battery is failing, or you're actively replacing it anyway, choosing a newer, certified energy-efficient model can reduce long-term operating costs and is often the practical choice.
- What is the difference between an ultrabook, a traditional laptop, and a gaming laptop in terms of energy use?
- Ultrabooks are engineered for efficiency and portability, with thin designs, efficient processors, and no discrete graphics, typically drawing less power. Traditional laptops offer a balance and often perform similarly to ultrabooks. Gaming laptops prioritize performance and include high-end GPUs and faster processors, leading to significantly higher power draw during operation and even at idle. If you don't need gaming or professional graphics performance, an ultrabook or standard efficient laptop will operate at a fraction of the cost.
- Do external monitors, mice, and keyboards add meaningful energy costs when plugged into a laptop?
- External USB devices and wireless peripherals draw power, but the amounts are small. A USB mouse might draw 1-2 watts, a keyboard a few watts, and an external monitor draws its own power from a separate outlet. Relative to the laptop's ~60-watt draw, these add only modest overhead. Wireless peripherals using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi are more efficient than older USB models, and using powered USB hubs is generally less efficient than plugging devices directly into the laptop when possible.