To estimate the electricity cost of a 24/7 YouTube stream running on a fanless PC, use the computer’s average whole-system power draw measured at the wall, your actual electricity rate and the hours it runs. Do not substitute processor TDP or the rating printed on a power adapter: neither tells you what the complete PC draws during your stream.
For a continuous 365-day year, the reusable calculation is: average watts ÷ 1,000 × 8,760 hours × price per kWh. The example rates below are hypothetical arithmetic inputs, not anyone’s actual tariff, and the 10 W example is not a measured streaming result.
Use whole-system wall power, not TDP
A fanless PC’s processor specification can be useful when comparing the kind of hardware you are considering, but it is not a power reading for the full computer. TDP describes a processor-related thermal design figure; it does not say how much electricity the PC will draw at its socket while encoding or relaying a particular YouTube stream. Likewise, the label on a power adapter indicates a capability or limit, not the computer’s normal consumption.
The useful input is the power taken by the complete PC during the work you plan to do. GMKtec’s guide to measuring mini-PC power consumption makes this distinction: measure the computer at the socket during your own workload. That is also why a generic idle reading, a CPU figure or another owner’s result should not be presented as your expected streaming draw.
A plug-in electricity meter, sometimes called a watt meter or energy monitor, can show instantaneous watts and, on many models, accumulated energy. Place it between the wall socket and the PC’s power supply, then run the actual stream setup. A meter reading taken while the computer is idle may be lower than a reading while video is playing, encoding, managing overlays or recovering from an interruption. Your own workload is the relevant one.
Be consistent about what the meter includes. If the PC is the only device connected through it, the result is a PC-only estimate. If the meter is upstream of a monitor, speakers, router or other equipment, the measured result includes those devices too. That can be useful for a complete station budget, but label it as the whole setup rather than attributing the entire draw to the PC.
Calculate annual energy for continuous use
Power is measured in watts; electricity bills commonly charge for kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt is 1,000 watts, and one kWh is the energy used by a 1,000 W load running for one hour. To find energy use, convert watts to kilowatts and multiply by the number of operating hours.
For a full year of uninterrupted operation, there are 8,760 hours: 24 hours × 365 days. The calculation for annual energy is therefore:
Annual energy (kWh) = average watts ÷ 1,000 × 8,760 hours.
This formula uses average power over the operating period, not simply the highest momentary reading. If a PC varies between quieter and busier work, a meter that accumulates kWh over a representative period can be more informative than a quick glance at its display. If you have a reliable average in watts for the stream workload, you can use it directly.
The result scales in a straightforward way. Double the average watts and the annual kWh doubles; run the same draw for half the hours and the energy halves. This is the same underlying approach described in MiniPCLab’s mini-PC electricity-cost calculation. The arithmetic does not predict your draw; it converts the draw you supply into energy use.
For a stream that is not genuinely continuous, replace 8,760 with the hours you expect to run in the year. For example, a channel that is deliberately offline overnight should use its scheduled operating hours, not the full-year figure. If you are estimating a leap year or a specific billing period, use the actual hours for that period rather than forcing it into the annual shortcut.
Apply different electricity rates
Once you have kWh, multiply by the price per kWh in the tariff you want to model. Bills can contain fixed charges, taxes, tiers or other items in addition to an energy rate, so first decide whether you are estimating the variable cost of electricity use or the total change in the bill. For a simple comparison, use the marginal price you pay for another kWh, if your bill makes that clear.
Keep units and currency visible. A rate of 0.12 currency units/kWh yields a cost of 0.12 currency units for each kWh in the calculation. The examples below use abstract currency units solely to make the arithmetic reusable across locations; they are not quoted rates for India, the UK, the US or any other market. Check your current bill or supplier tariff before applying the formula to your own budget.
| Hypothetical rate (currency units/kWh) | Annual cost at hypothetical 10 W | Monthly average |
|---|---|---|
| 0.05 | 4.38 | 0.365 |
| 0.12 | 10.512 | 0.876 |
| 0.24 | 21.024 | 1.752 |
| 0.40 | 35.04 | 2.92 |
These are calculated values, not tariff research or a claim that a particular PC consumes 10 W while streaming. The rates are chosen examples, and the currency is intentionally not specified. If your bill uses a different unit or currency, enter its price per kWh and retain that currency label in your answer.
Rates can also change by time of day or consumption band. In that case, a single rate is only an approximation unless it represents the hours and band that apply to the stream. You can calculate separate costs for separate periods and add them, or use a weighted average rate if you know the relevant usage shares. Avoid presenting a simple rate-table result as a precise bill prediction when your tariff is more complicated.
Worked example at a hypothetical 10 W
Suppose, only for arithmetic illustration, that a meter showed an average whole-system draw of 10 W for the streaming workload. This is not a measurement of any fanless PC, and it is not a recommended assumption for a particular device. Convert 10 W to 0.010 kW, then multiply by 8,760 hours: 0.010 × 8,760 = 87.6 kWh in a year.
At a hypothetical price of 0.12 currency units per kWh, the calculation is 87.6 × 0.12 = 10.512 currency units per year. At 0.24 units/kWh, it is 87.6 × 0.24 = 21.024 units. The input rate, not the 10 W assumption, distinguishes those two cases. Using 0.05 gives 4.38 units, while 0.40 gives 35.04 units.
For any other measured average wattage, scale the listed 10 W results by watts ÷ 10. If your measured average were 15 W, for example, you would multiply the 10 W energy and cost by 1.5. That illustration explains the scaling rule only; it is not a claim about what a particular PC draws. Better still, enter your own wall-power measurement in the original formula, which avoids carrying over a hypothetical baseline.
A useful check is dimensional: watts divided by 1,000 produces kW; multiplying by hours produces kWh; multiplying by currency units per kWh produces currency units. If the final result is still labelled in watts or kWh after applying the tariff, one of the steps has not been completed. Keep a note of the wattage, number of hours, rate and currency alongside any figure you share.
Convert annual cost to a monthly average
To get a simple monthly average from annual energy or cost, divide by 12. In the hypothetical 10 W case, 87.6 kWh per year is 7.3 kWh per month on average. At 0.12 currency units/kWh, 10.512 units divided by 12 gives 0.876 units per month; at 0.40, 35.04 divided by 12 gives 2.92 units.
A monthly average is useful for comparing a continuous stream with other recurring expenses, but it is not necessarily what any individual bill will show. Months have different numbers of days, your stream may be interrupted or scheduled, and a tariff may apply different rates at different usage levels. Treat the monthly figure as annual cost spread evenly over twelve months, not as a forecast of a specific bill.
If you prefer a representative month rather than an annual average, use the actual hours in that month. The same formula applies: average watts ÷ 1,000 × operating hours in the period × price per kWh. This is particularly useful when your stream only runs for part of a day or when you want to compare a seasonal schedule with a year-round one.
The amount also needs context. The calculation estimates electricity consumed by the measured equipment. It does not include the purchase price of the PC, replacement parts, internet service, or any other operating cost. If you are comparing hardware for a channel, keep those costs separate unless you deliberately build a broader total-cost estimate.
Measure your own fanless PC while streaming
For a useful result, connect the meter so it measures the equipment you intend to include, then run the channel in its normal configuration. Use the intended playback file or live workflow, encoder settings, overlays and other software. Let the machine settle into its ordinary operation before noting a reading; a startup or update can be an unusual moment rather than a typical stream period.
Where the meter records accumulated energy, note the start and end readings over a representative run. Divide the kWh used by elapsed hours to get average kW, then multiply by 1,000 for average watts. If it records average watts directly, use that reading, while noting the duration and workload. A brief test can miss changes that happen later, so a longer observation that reflects your ordinary schedule is more useful.
Record what was connected and what the machine was doing. For example: “PC only; looping a prepared video; average wall draw recorded over a normal stream test.” Do not label the result “fanless PC streaming draw” without naming the measurement conditions. A different resolution, encoder, playback method or attached display can change the workload, and a reading from one configuration is not a universal specification.
If comparing two PCs, use the same meter placement and as similar a stream workload as practical. Compare average whole-system watts, then calculate annual kWh and cost at your own rate. Also consider whether each machine can sustain your intended resolution and operating routine; the lowest electricity estimate does not establish streaming capability or reliability. For help thinking through playback software and its energy implications, see the comparison of FFmpeg and OBS for YouTube loop streaming.
A fanless design can remove a moving fan, but that fact alone does not establish the machine’s wall draw, temperature behaviour or suitability for continuous streaming. ASUS, for example, describes its ExpertCenter PL64-D1 as fanless and lists support for a CPU up to 15 W. That is a manufacturer specification for a processor ceiling, not a measurement of the whole computer streaming YouTube. Check the current product details and test the actual task before treating a hardware specification as an operating-cost figure.
The power calculation also cannot tell you whether local playback will survive every outage, update or network interruption. If you are planning to leave a computer unattended, review practical risks such as Windows entering connected standby during an OBS stream and the steps needed to keep a stream running after a restart. For a workload that relies on a prepared video rather than a computer staying on at home, the article on keeping a YouTube channel live after turning off your PC describes a different operating approach and its trade-offs.
For this electricity question, a measured wall-power result is still the decision point: it tells you the energy cost of the PC or setup you actually run. If the recurring burden you are trying to avoid is leaving your own computer on continuously, StreamNeo can remove that specific need by running an uploaded video as a YouTube stream while your computer is switched off. That is a different arrangement from measuring a fanless PC, so use the route that fits your content and operating requirements.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Is a 10 W fanless PC a realistic assumption for a 24/7 YouTube stream?
This article does not establish 10 W as a measured or typical streaming draw. It is a hypothetical input used to show how the calculation works. Measure your own complete setup at the wall under the workload you intend to run.
Can I use the processor TDP or adapter rating instead of measuring?
No. TDP is a processor-related specification, and an adapter rating is not the PC’s average consumption. For an energy-cost estimate, use whole-system wall power during the actual stream or describe the result as an assumption rather than a measurement.
Are the table’s electricity rates actual tariffs?
No. They are hypothetical rates in unspecified currency units per kWh, included to make the arithmetic transparent. Use the price and currency shown on your current bill or applicable tariff when calculating your own estimate.
Does the estimate include my monitor, router or speakers?
Only if your meter setup includes them. Measure the PC alone for a PC-only estimate, or include additional equipment and identify it if you want the cost of the complete streaming station.