There is no single electricity bill for running FFmpeg on an Intel NUC around the clock. To estimate yours, measure the NUC’s average power at the wall while it does the same work you plan to run, then multiply the resulting energy use by the rate on your electricity bill.
The calculation is straightforward; the inputs are what vary. The NUC’s model and components, FFmpeg settings, whether encoding runs continuously, and your tariff all matter. The examples below are arithmetic from stated inputs, not a tested NUC result.
Why one NUC does not have one electricity bill
“Intel NUC” covers different generations and configurations, not one fixed machine. Processor, memory, storage, power settings, and attached devices can all affect the total power drawn from the wall. FFmpeg adds another variable: the work changes with codec, resolution, frame rate, and whether encoding uses hardware acceleration or the CPU.
A processor’s thermal design power (TDP) is not a reading of the whole computer’s actual wall draw. Intel describes TDP as a design target and notes that power consumption is lower under lower loads; some workloads can also exceed the stated value temporarily. A power-adapter rating is likewise not an estimate of what the system continuously consumes. Use either figure as a description of a component or design limit, not as a substitute for measurement.
Published measurements can help show why configuration matters, but they are not a shortcut to your answer. For example, Notebookcheck reports desktop idle draw in the 3–7 W range for its NUC8i7BEH review unit. ServeTheHome reports about 11 W at idle and 40 W at 70% load for its NUC11 Pro configuration, while its NUC12 Pro review reports 6–10 W idle. These are observations from specific machines and test conditions. They do not establish what an unspecified NUC draws while running your FFmpeg job.
The question is not merely “How many watts is a NUC?” It is “How many watts does my complete system draw, on average, while it runs this workload for this portion of the day?” Once you answer that, the bill estimate becomes reproducible.
Measure wall power during your FFmpeg workload
Use a plug-in energy meter between the wall socket and the NUC’s normal power supply. Include the storage and peripherals that will remain connected in the real setup. A measurement taken at the wall captures the combined system’s AC input; a CPU telemetry reading may not include the power supply, storage, or other attached equipment.
Set up the same FFmpeg job you expect to use for the live channel. Keep the output settings, input file, acceleration choice, and other relevant conditions representative. Then let the job run long enough for the reading to reflect sustained work rather than just startup. Record the meter’s average watts, if it provides one, or record the cumulative kWh and the time interval. The meter’s instructions will explain which readings it can report.
For a continuous broadcast that encodes continuously, use the sustained-workload average. Do not use a brief peak as the average, and do not take a quick idle reading as a proxy for encoding. For a setup that encodes some of the time and idles at other times, measure or estimate both states and weight them by the time spent in each. For instance, if scheduled jobs finish and the machine remains on overnight, the overnight idle period belongs in the day’s average.
A practical record can be simple: note the meter reading, start and end times, what FFmpeg job was running, and whether the usual peripherals were connected. Repeat under the conditions you care about if you change the output settings or power mode. Intel says available NUC power-management options vary by model and can include balanced, low-power, or maximum-performance modes. A mode that reduces consumption may also affect the time needed to encode, so compare both power and performance rather than changing a setting solely to lower watts.
If you are comparing two machines, run the same job with the same output settings and duty cycle on both. Record average wall watts, encoding time or throughput, and idle use between jobs. A lower watt reading is not necessarily a useful saving if it means the machine cannot keep up with the required output. For the stream itself, the FFmpeg setup guide for a 24/7 language-learning stream is a useful companion for thinking through the workload and configuration.
Convert watts and runtime into annual kWh
For a system that runs continuously throughout the year, the conversion is:
Annual energy (kWh) = average wall watts × 8,760 hours ÷ 1,000.
The 8,760 hours represent 24 hours per day across 365 days. Dividing by 1,000 converts watt-hours to kilowatt-hours. The compact version is average watts × 8.76 = annual kWh. That means each average watt used continuously for a year corresponds to 8.76 kWh.
Suppose your meter reports an average of 12 W for the complete system during the relevant workload. The annual energy calculation is 12 × 8.76, or 105.12 kWh. This is a worked calculation from an assumed input, not a claim about typical NUC consumption. If your measured value is different, substitute it directly.
The 24/7 assumption matters. If the machine is genuinely on for only part of each day, use the hours it is on rather than 8,760. If FFmpeg encodes for some hours and the machine idles for the rest, calculate each period separately, then add the kWh together. One way to do that is:
Energy for a period (kWh) = average watts × hours in that period ÷ 1,000.
Then add the energy for encoding, idle, and any other relevant states. For example, the encoding-state watts should be multiplied by encoding hours, while the idle-state watts should be multiplied by idle hours. This avoids treating the higher-workload reading as if it applied all day when it does not.
A continuous video stream may still have changing work inside it. A static image with a music track, a moving video loop, and live transcoding need not put the same load on the system. The measurement should reflect the actual FFmpeg process and stream design, not just the fact that YouTube is receiving a signal.
Apply your electricity rate
Once you have kWh, multiply by the price per kWh that applies to you:
Electricity cost = energy in kWh × price per kWh.
Use the rate on your bill or plan, rather than assuming a national figure applies where you live. Check whether the listed rate is a usage charge only, whether your plan has time-of-use prices, and whether variable charges relevant to each additional kWh should be included. A fixed monthly account fee usually does not change just because the NUC is running, so keep fixed charges separate unless your goal is to estimate the entire bill rather than the computer’s incremental use.
If your rate changes by time of day, a single average rate can obscure the result. When you know the hours in each price band and how much the NUC runs in those hours, multiply each period’s energy by its applicable rate and add the costs. If the tariff is not clear, use the bill’s effective usage rate as a rough estimate and label it as such; do not mistake it for a guaranteed final bill amount.
Tariffs differ substantially between places. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports a 2025 U.S. residential average of 17.30 cents per kWh, but that is a dated national benchmark, not a current universal tariff. Its figures also describe averages, not necessarily the exact marginal amount on an individual bill. The EIA’s electricity price explanation and monthly price table provide context; use your own bill for your estimate.
For readers in India and elsewhere, the same arithmetic applies, but use the tariff and billing units shown by the local provider. If the bill is in rupees per kWh, multiply kWh by that rate. If a bill uses a different unit or has slab pricing, first make sure you are using the equivalent energy unit and the appropriate rate for the additional consumption. The guide to keeping an overnight YouTube stream running on a Windows PC in India covers the separate practical question of maintaining an overnight stream; this calculation remains specific to your hardware and tariff.
Worked example using the stated U.S. rate
The table uses the EIA’s 2025 U.S. residential average of $0.173/kWh. Every watt value is a scenario input, not a measured result for an Intel NUC or an FFmpeg job. Annual kWh is calculated as watts × 8.76, annual cost as kWh × $0.173, and monthly cost as annual cost divided by 12.
| Assumed average wall draw | Annual energy | Approx. annual cost | Approx. monthly cost on annual average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 W | 43.8 kWh | $7.58 | $0.63 |
| 10 W | 87.6 kWh | $15.15 | $1.26 |
| 20 W | 175.2 kWh | $30.31 | $2.53 |
| 40 W | 350.4 kWh | $60.62 | $5.05 |
Read each row as an illustration of the formula, not a menu of expected NUC draw. If your measured average is 10 W, the arithmetic at this stated rate gives 87.6 kWh per year and about $15.15 per year. If your reading is 20 W, the same rate yields about $30.31 per year. The difference comes from the assumed input watts; neither line says what your particular computer will measure.
The per-watt rule is another way to check the arithmetic. At $0.173/kWh, one continuous average watt corresponds to 8.76 × $0.173, or about $1.51 per year. Ten such watts therefore cost about $15.15 per year. The apparent precision in the table follows from the arithmetic, not from a precision claim about your measurement or tariff. Round the final estimate appropriately for the quality of your inputs.
Your local result can differ even with the same wall-power reading. At a higher tariff, the same kWh costs more; at a lower tariff, it costs less. The EIA’s 2025 figures show a wide state range, but the exact price category and current rates matter. Do not use a state average as though it were the rate on your own account.
Adjust for a billing month and tariff
An annual average month is useful for comparing scenarios, but an actual billing period has its own number of days and may include a different number of hours. For a month-specific estimate, use the hours in that billing period. Multiply measured average watts by those hours, divide by 1,000 to get kWh, and then apply the rate or rates for that period.
For a meter that records cumulative kWh, the simplest approach is to note the reading at the start and end of a representative billing interval. The difference is the energy used by the complete system during that interval, assuming nothing else is plugged into the meter. Multiply that difference by the applicable usage rate. If the meter is shared with other equipment, either measure the NUC separately or measure the combined setup intentionally and state that the result includes all of it.
A flat tariff makes the final multiplication easy. A tiered or slab tariff takes more care: additional use may fall into a different band, so use the rate that applies to the added units at your household’s total consumption, not necessarily the first line on a tariff sheet. A time-of-use tariff requires allocating kWh to the relevant time bands. In both cases, the question is the incremental cost of adding this load, which may differ from dividing the total bill by total household kWh.
Keep the estimate’s scope clear. If you want the NUC’s additional running cost, focus on the extra energy it consumes and the charges that vary with consumption. If you want to explain the whole electricity bill, fixed charges, taxes, and unrelated appliances also belong in that total, but they are not costs caused by FFmpeg. The distinction helps you compare the electricity impact with other running costs without attributing the entire household bill to one stream.
What this estimate excludes
The estimate covers electricity for the measured system under the conditions you observed. It does not forecast a different FFmpeg job, account for a future tariff change, or prove that the computer will draw the same power after a hardware or software change. If you swap storage, attach more equipment, change encoding settings, or alter the power mode, repeat the measurement when an accurate comparison matters.
It also does not measure encoding quality or capacity. Two configurations can draw different power and take different amounts of time to produce the same output. When comparing them, check whether each can sustain the frame rate and output settings the channel needs, as well as the wall power. Processor TDP, adapter ratings, idle measurements, and isolated review benchmarks cannot establish that answer for your actual job.
Nor is the estimate a complete cost of operating a 24/7 YouTube channel. Internet service, replacement parts, cooling, and the time needed to monitor and recover a local setup are separate considerations. If you are weighing a local machine against other ways of keeping a channel live, compare the whole operating arrangement rather than electricity alone. A comparison of VLC and OBS for a 24/7 bhajan stream helps frame software choices, while the electricity calculation still depends on the actual device and workload you measure.
A plug-in energy meter is a modest practical purchase if you need a defensible input rather than a guess. Do not treat an online review’s idle figure as your result, and do not assume a processor’s rating equals wall draw. Record the meter conditions and tariff alongside the calculation, so you can update the estimate if either changes.
If running your own computer continuously is the part you are trying to avoid, StreamNeo turns an uploaded file into a YouTube live stream without needing your computer to stay on; it is YouTube-only, so it does not fit every workflow. That changes the operating arrangement, not the need to check your content, stream configuration, and current YouTube 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
How much electricity does an Intel NUC use in a month?
There is no single monthly figure that applies to every NUC or FFmpeg workload. Measure average wall watts, multiply by the hours in your billing period, and divide by 1,000 for kWh; then use your applicable price per kWh. The table above gives annualized monthly arithmetic for scenarios, not measured NUC results.
Can I use the processor’s TDP to estimate the bill?
No. TDP is a processor design figure, not a whole-system wall-power reading or a promise about continuous consumption. Measure the complete computer and the usual connected equipment while the actual FFmpeg workload runs.
Should I use idle watts or encoding watts?
Use the state that reflects how the machine spends its time. If it encodes continuously, measure sustained encoding; if it alternates between encoding and idle, estimate each state’s energy over its hours and add them together. A short idle reading alone will not represent continuous encoding.
Is the U.S. example a test of an Intel NUC?
No. The example applies the EIA’s 2025 average U.S. residential rate of $0.173/kWh to assumed wall-power values using the stated formula. Replace both the scenario watts and the example rate with your own measurement and tariff for a personal estimate.