A laptop streaming video continuously has a useful published power estimate of 22 W, but that figure is not a universal measurement of YouTube playback. If your laptop averaged that much at the wall, it would use 0.528 kWh a day and 15.84 kWh in a 30-day month; the bill impact depends on your electricity rate and, for the extra cost, how much more power playback uses than your ordinary baseline.
You can estimate the arithmetic from the benchmark, then replace it with a measurement from your own laptop and adapter. Battery runtime and long-term battery effects cannot be reduced to one figure for every model, so treat them separately from the electricity calculation.
What the 22 W benchmark does—and does not—tell you
The Carbon Trust appendix lists 22 W as an estimated laptop power draw for streaming video, attributing the estimate to Singh et al. (2019). It is a useful starting point for arithmetic, not a controlled, current test of every laptop playing YouTube. The appendix is available in the Carbon Trust report.
That distinction matters because “streaming video” can describe very different workloads. One laptop may be showing a dim screen with a modest stream in a browser; another may be encoding video, running several apps, using a bright display, and keeping a busy Wi-Fi connection. Processor, display, graphics, power settings, background activity and adapter behaviour all affect the power drawn at the wall.
So use 22 W as a worked example: if your whole setup averaged 22 W, what would the energy and cost be? Do not interpret it as a promise that your own laptop will draw 22 W, as a measurement specific to YouTube, or as an estimate of the additional draw caused by streaming. The answer to that last question needs a baseline for comparison.
If you are deciding between keeping a computer on and moving a loop elsewhere, electricity is only one part of the choice. This guide to VPS or cloud streaming value gives a separate way to think about the operating options; compare like with like rather than treating the benchmark as a laptop-specific forecast.
Turn the benchmark into daily energy
Power is measured in watts, while electricity use over time is measured in kilowatt-hours. Divide watts by 1,000 to get kilowatts, then multiply by the hours the load is operating:
kWh = watts × hours ÷ 1,000
For a 24-hour day at the cited 22 W estimate:
22 W × 24 h ÷ 1,000 = 0.528 kWh/day
That is the whole-load arithmetic for the assumed 22 W average. It includes whatever equipment the figure represents; it does not tell you how much of the load belongs to the stream rather than the laptop’s normal operation. Nor does a video’s nominal resolution let you infer the laptop’s power draw reliably. A measured average is more useful than the adapter’s maximum rated wattage: the rating describes what it can supply under conditions, not what the laptop continuously takes from the socket.
The formula also works for a shorter period. If your channel runs for only part of a day, replace 24 with the actual hours. For example, a measured average of P watts over h hours becomes P × h ÷ 1,000 kWh. Keeping the symbols until you have your own reading avoids confusing a convenient example with a universal figure.
Extend the arithmetic to a 30-day month
For a continuous schedule, multiply the daily energy by 30. At the benchmark rate, that is:
0.528 kWh/day × 30 days = 15.84 kWh per 30-day month
Thirty days is a tidy comparison period, not a claim about every calendar month. A longer or shorter billing period changes the total in proportion to the days you run the stream. If your channel is not actually continuous, use its real operating hours rather than assuming a full 24-hour day.
| Assumed average load | Daily energy, 24 hours | Energy over 30 days |
|---|---|---|
| 22 W | 0.528 kWh | 15.84 kWh |
Your measured average, P W |
P × 24 ÷ 1,000 kWh |
P × 24 × 30 ÷ 1,000 kWh |
Only the first row uses the Carbon Trust estimate. The second is a template for your own measurement; it deliberately does not supply a made-up wattage. If you measure the combined laptop-and-adapter load at the wall, your figure includes conversion losses and the actual draw under the tested conditions.
A 24/7 recorded video loop is also not necessarily the same workload as an interactive live production. If your project is a prerecorded loop, this overview of how looping prerecorded videos on YouTube Live works can help clarify what the stream is doing before you compare its power use with other approaches.
Put your electricity rate into the calculation
Multiply the energy in kWh by the rate you pay per kWh:
cost = kWh × electricity price per kWh
At an illustrative rate of $0.15/kWh, the benchmark arithmetic gives:
- Daily:
0.528 × $0.15 = $0.0792, or about 7.9 cents. - Thirty days:
15.84 × $0.15 = $2.376, or about $2.38.
The $0.15 rate is an assumed example, not a current tariff recommendation. Electricity rates differ by place, supplier and plan. Use the per-kWh rate on your own bill, and check whether the bill has separate charges that do not scale directly with this device’s consumption. If your rate is in rupees, keep the same calculation and use the rupees-per-kWh figure from your bill; the result will be in rupees.
For a quick substitution, if your rate is R per kWh, the benchmark’s 30-day cost is 15.84 × R. For your own measured average P watts, it is P × 24 × 30 ÷ 1,000 × R. This isolates the energy charge implied by the device load; it is not a reconstruction of every component on a household bill.
Total electricity is not the same as extra cost
The benchmark calculation estimates the cost of the full 22 W load. Your question may instead be how much the stream adds. To estimate that, subtract what the laptop already draws in its ordinary state from the draw during playback:
incremental kWh = (playback watts − baseline watts) × hours ÷ 1,000
incremental cost = incremental kWh × tariff
For instance, if the playback reading is Wplay and the normal or idle reading is Wbase, use their difference, Wplay − Wbase, rather than Wplay alone. No universal idle-versus-YouTube difference is established by the cited sources, so assigning a generic increment would be misleading. Your laptop might already be doing useful work, or its idle state might be quite different from your playback state.
Choose the baseline that matches the question you want answered. Comparing playback with the laptop switched off estimates the whole operating load relative to off. Comparing playback with your usual desktop activity estimates the additional load over that ordinary activity. Comparing it with an idle laptop estimates the difference over idle. Those are different comparisons and will produce different incremental figures.
Run both states for a representative period, and keep conditions as similar as practical: same display brightness, adapter, network and background apps. If your normal state has the screen off but playback has it on, that screen difference is part of the added cost for that comparison. Write down which baseline you used so you do not later present an incremental figure as the full cost of running the laptop.
Measure the laptop you actually use
If you want a personal estimate, measure the combined laptop-and-adapter load at the wall in playback and baseline states. A plug-in electricity usage monitor can show average watts; it is optional, not a prerequisite. Use the average after the reading has settled rather than the adapter’s printed maximum, and record the conditions alongside the number.
A useful test sequence is straightforward:
- Connect the laptop and adapter through the meter, then note the settled wall-power reading in the baseline state you care about.
- Start the stream and let the device reach its usual operating state. Note the average reading over a representative period.
- Keep display brightness, stream quality, network and other running apps consistent, or record the differences if you cannot.
- Subtract baseline watts from playback watts for the incremental estimate. Multiply that difference by the actual run hours and divide by 1,000 to get kWh.
- Multiply by your tariff for the matching period.
A wall reading includes the adapter’s conversion losses, which makes it appropriate for estimating what the socket supplies. It does not show how much each component inside the laptop uses, and it cannot guarantee that every future night will match the test. Video settings, brightness, updates, network conditions and background tasks can shift the reading.
Microsoft’s Local Video Playback assessment guidance describes a controlled battery test and recommends consistent conditions, including a 150-nit screen setting. That is useful context for repeatable testing, but a local video test is not the same as YouTube over Wi-Fi. To understand the difference between a computer-dependent loop and other ways to keep a channel running, see how to fix a livestream that stops when your computer is turned off.
Read battery and power-bill implications separately
On battery, continuous video playback will eventually use the available charge, but no responsible single runtime follows from the 22 W benchmark alone. A rough calculation is usable battery capacity in watt-hours divided by average power in watts. Both inputs need to describe your particular laptop and conditions, and real runtime varies with system design, software activity and power-management settings.
A manufacturer’s local-file playback result is not a guaranteed YouTube runtime. Microsoft explains that its Surface battery testing uses specified conditions and that battery life varies with settings, use and other factors. ASUS likewise notes that battery discharge depends on software operations and power-management settings; video playback can consume more than general word processing. See Microsoft’s Surface battery test information and ASUS battery guidance for model-specific context, then consult support information for your own device.
When plugged in, the bill calculation is based on wall energy, but the sources do not establish a universal amount of battery damage from leaving every laptop connected during a 24/7 stream. Some systems offer charge-protection or charge-limit behaviour; implementation depends on the model. Check your manufacturer’s guidance for your exact laptop, use a built-in charge limit if available, and keep airflow unobstructed as ordinary device care. Do not infer a general battery-aging rate from the stream schedule or the 22 W number.
For a channel that must continue while your computer is off, the question is also whether the laptop needs to remain part of the broadcast at all. StreamNeo removes that particular need by letting you upload a video, provide your YouTube stream key, and leave the broadcast running while your computer is switched off. It is YouTube-only, and it does not turn the benchmark into a forecast of a household’s full bill; you still compare operating arrangements against your own requirements and costs.
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 22 W what YouTube always draws on a laptop?
No. It is an estimated laptop streaming figure in the Carbon Trust appendix, attributed to Singh et al. (2019), not a universal measurement of YouTube on current laptops. Treat it as an arithmetic example and measure your own setup for a more relevant estimate.
How do I calculate the extra cost rather than the total cost?
Measure playback watts and the normal or idle watts that represent your comparison, then subtract the baseline from playback. Multiply that difference by the hours, divide by 1,000 to get kWh, and multiply by your per-kWh rate. The selected baseline determines what “extra” means.
Can I leave a laptop plugged in for a 24/7 stream without harming its battery?
There is no universal answer for every laptop in the cited guidance, and no general battery-aging rate for this schedule. Check the support advice for your exact model, including whether it offers a charge limit, and keep ventilation clear.
Will the laptop battery last all night if I stream on battery?
The 22 W estimate cannot promise a runtime for your laptop. Runtime depends on usable battery capacity and actual average draw, which vary with hardware, settings and activity; a controlled test on your own device is more informative than a generic figure.