A Raspberry Pi 4 Model B’s documented approximate readings convert to about 26 kWh a year at idle or 34 kWh a year during H.264 video playback, if either average draw continued around the clock. These are calculations from Raspberry Pi’s older workload measurements, not a direct test of a current YouTube stream in a browser.
Your actual bill depends on the Pi model, playback conditions, power supply, connected equipment and local electricity tariff. The figures below give you a transparent starting point and a formula for replacing the assumptions with measurements from your own setup.
Why power use varies by Pi and setup
A Raspberry Pi does not draw one fixed amount of power simply because it is switched on. The processor and video decoder do different work depending on what is running, while attached devices can add to the total. A board showing a static page is not necessarily doing the same work as one decoding a video continuously.
For YouTube playback, the load can vary with the Pi model, browser and software version, chosen resolution, video codec and whether video decoding is accelerated. Raspberry Pi 4’s specifications list H.264 decoding up to 1080p60, but that capability does not tell you which codec YouTube will serve to a particular browser or whether that browser will use the decoder as expected. YouTube’s current system requirements and browser guidance do not certify this specific Pi setup or promise a particular playback result.
The network connection matters to reliable playback, but a bandwidth recommendation is not a power measurement. If you are planning an always-on channel, keep playback quality and continuity separate from the electricity estimate. For audio checks and troubleshooting, see this guide to fixing sound on a YouTube radio livestream.
What Raspberry Pi’s Pi 4 readings tell you
Raspberry Pi’s hardware documentation gives approximate average readings for a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B: 0.6A at idle and 0.78A during H.264 video playback. Applying the documented 5V level gives the simple power conversion: watts = volts × amps. That works out to about 3.0W at idle and 3.9W during the documented playback workload.
These figures are useful as a reference, not as a promise about your own board. Raspberry Pi describes the readings as approximate and notes that its test used dated Raspberry Pi OS images. The Pi 4 test setup included HDMI, keyboard, mouse and Ethernet, but the figures exclude consumption from additional USB devices or HATs. In other words, the test was not a bare board with nothing connected, and it was not a complete living-room or studio setup either.
Most importantly, H.264 video playback in that documentation is not a direct measurement of current YouTube playback in Chromium or another browser. Raspberry Pi OS documentation identifies Chromium as the default browser for a new installation unless another browser is selected, but that does not establish YouTube’s delivered codec, decoding path or average draw. The Pi 4 Model B specifications describe supported hardware capabilities; capability is not the same as a measured end-to-end browser workload.
So treat 3.9W as a worked example based on an approximate older H.264 playback reading. It is not a measured figure for every Pi 4, every resolution or a live YouTube tab. A different model or software arrangement may draw differently, and a wall measurement of your own setup is the better evidence for your bill.
Convert watts to annual kWh
For a device running continuously, the annual energy calculation is:
watts × hours per year ÷ 1,000 = kilowatt-hours per year
A non-leap year has 8,760 hours. Using the rounded Pi 4 readings:
| Example average draw | Calculation | Approximate annual energy |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0W idle reference | 3.0 × 8,760 ÷ 1,000 | 26.3 kWh, or roughly 26 kWh |
| 3.9W H.264 playback reference | 3.9 × 8,760 ÷ 1,000 | 34.2 kWh, or roughly 34 kWh |
The more precise arithmetic from those rounded watt values is 26.28 kWh and 34.164 kWh respectively. Rounding to whole kWh is appropriate here because the input readings themselves are approximate. The decimal places in the calculation should not be mistaken for measurement precision.
This is a steady-average assumption. If your Pi is switched off for part of the year, use its actual operating hours instead of 8,760. If it runs continuously but alternates between idle screens and playback, an average measured over a representative period will capture that pattern better than choosing either reference wholesale.
You can apply the same calculation to any measured average. For example, if a meter shows a stable average of P watts during your chosen workload, annual energy under continuous operation is P × 8.76 kWh. That shortcut is just the same hours-per-year formula with the unit conversion already folded in; it is not a separate benchmark.
Estimate cost with your own tariff
Multiply annual kWh by the price you actually pay per kWh:
annual electricity cost = annual kWh × your tariff per kWh
There is no universal tariff to insert. Your rate depends on where you live and the plan on your bill. If your tariff is expressed in rupees per kWh, multiply the annual kWh figure by that rupee amount. If your bill uses another currency or unit, convert it to a per-kWh figure before multiplying.
For illustration without assuming a price, the Pi 4 playback reference would be about 34 × your tariff per year, while the idle reference would be about 26 × your tariff per year. Use the more precise values only if you have a reason to retain that precision; the documented current readings are approximate, so a rounded estimate is usually clearer.
Check whether your bill has a flat unit rate or a time-varying rate. With a time-varying tariff, one multiplication may not represent the actual cost if your usage crosses rate periods; you would need the energy used in each period and its corresponding price. Fixed charges on a household bill are not caused by this one device, so do not attribute the whole bill to the Pi.
If you are comparing the Pi with another way to keep a 24/7 channel running, compare like with like: same content and playback conditions, same measurement boundary, same assumed annual hours and the same tariff. A computer switched on for encoding is a different workload from a small player decoding a browser video. For a wider look at approaches to running a continuous channel, this guide to streaming prerecorded videos on YouTube 24/7 can help frame the operational choices without changing the electricity formula.
Account for the supply and peripherals
Be explicit about what your number covers. The documented Pi reading is not automatically the energy use of everything needed to watch or maintain a channel. A display is outside a board reading, as are devices such as USB storage, audio interfaces, hubs and attached HATs unless the measuring method includes them. Raspberry Pi specifically warns that additional USB devices and HATs can raise consumption beyond its approximate table figures.
A power supply’s rated maximum output is capacity, not constant draw. Raspberry Pi recommends a 15W USB-C supply for Pi 4 and Pi 400, but that recommendation does not mean the Pi consumes 15W continuously. The official supply listing gives its output rating and no-load consumption; neither turns its maximum rating into a normal playback reading.
There are several useful measurement boundaries:
- Board-side estimate: useful for thinking about the Pi board, but excludes the supply’s conversion losses and downstream equipment.
- USB supply-side measurement: can include the supply’s output to the Pi but not necessarily the display or other items plugged in elsewhere. It may still not reflect the energy drawn from the wall exactly.
- Wall measurement of the whole setup: best for estimating the household electricity attributable to the setup, provided the meter is measuring the actual plug or power strip that feeds all the equipment you want counted.
For the cost on your bill, a wall meter reading of the full setup is generally the most useful boundary because it includes conversion losses in the power supply and anything connected downstream of that meter. If the monitor is plugged into another socket, however, it remains outside the measurement. Decide whether you want the Pi alone or the complete viewing and streaming arrangement before you compare figures.
Compare the estimate with your actual setup
A small plug-in wall meter can help replace a reference value with your own average. It is a measurement aid, not a requirement for using the formula. Keep the setup representative: the same Pi, browser, resolution, network connection and peripherals you expect to leave running. If playback pauses, the device reboots or the page changes state, note that rather than treating a brief reading as the whole year’s behaviour.
Take readings over a period that covers ordinary use and look for an average rather than a momentary peak. The documented table itself reports averages for particular test conditions, so comparing a momentary maximum from your meter with those averages would be misleading. Avoid making a comparison between one setup measured at the wall and another measured at the board without accounting for the different boundaries.
A practical note might record: model, operating system and browser, playback resolution, whether the YouTube stream was actually playing, connected devices, measurement location and average watts. Then calculate annual kWh from that average and apply your tariff. If you change browsers, resolution, or attached equipment, the old number may no longer represent the new setup.
If the measured total is higher than the reference, check what is included before concluding that the Pi itself is unusually power-hungry. A display, USB devices, power-supply losses and other equipment can explain a gap. If your measured total is lower, that also does not invalidate the documented figure: the test workload and your browser playback conditions differ.
When the electricity estimate is only part of the decision
Electricity is one operating cost, but a 24/7 YouTube channel also depends on how the stream is produced and what happens when a device or connection stops working. A Pi playing a browser video is not automatically the same as a production method that continuously sends a live broadcast to YouTube. Confirm that your chosen workflow can sustain the format you need, and test recovery from a power cut, internet interruption or browser failure before relying on it overnight.
If your aim is to broadcast an uploaded video continuously without leaving your own computer on, StreamNeo removes that specific always-on computer burden by running the uploaded video as a YouTube live stream. It is YouTube-only, so it is not a fit if you need to send the same stream to another platform. This is a workflow distinction, not a claim that one approach costs less in electricity: compare what you measure and what work you need done.
For a home or small-channel setup, the useful comparison is not just a device’s nominal wattage. Include the time you spend maintaining playback, the equipment that must remain on, how you will notice a failure, and how you will restart the stream. If you are assessing a cloud-based workflow alongside local hardware, this discussion of running a 24/7 channel from a cloud VM offers a separate operational perspective; it should not be read as a power measurement for your Pi.
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 does it cost to leave a Raspberry Pi on 24/7?
For the Pi 4 reference readings, continuous operation works out to roughly 26 kWh per year at idle or 34 kWh per year during the documented H.264 playback workload. Multiply your chosen annual kWh by your own tariff per kWh to estimate cost. The figures do not directly measure current YouTube browser playback, and the cost boundary depends on what your meter includes.
Is 3.9W a direct measurement of YouTube streaming on a Pi 4?
No. It is a conversion of Raspberry Pi’s approximate average current reading for H.264 video playback at the documented 5V level. Browser playback may vary with the model, software, resolution, codec and decoding path, so measure your own setup if you need a bill estimate.
Does the estimate include a monitor or the power supply?
The annual figures are calculations from the documented Pi 4 readings, not a whole-room or complete channel setup measurement. A separate display and additional USB equipment are not included in the cited table, and a board-side estimate does not include supply conversion losses. A wall meter on the full setup gives a more useful total when all relevant equipment is plugged downstream of it.
Does a 15W Raspberry Pi power supply mean the Pi uses 15W?
No. The 15W figure describes the supply’s rated output capacity, not the Pi’s usual continuous draw. Use a measured average or an appropriately scoped documented reading for energy calculations, not the supply’s maximum rating.