A low-end PC running a 1080p YouTube loop has no fixed electricity cost: the answer depends on its average power draw at the wall, the hours it runs and the price you pay per kilowatt-hour. Measure the actual setup if you can, then use the formula below; the worked 30-day figures are examples, not measurements of a typical low-end computer.
This is an electricity estimate, not the total cost of running a 1080p channel. It does not automatically include a monitor, router, internet service, cooling, equipment replacement or the value of your time. Keep those boundaries clear when comparing a PC with another way of maintaining a continuous stream.
Why a low-end PC has no single cost
“Low-end” is not a power measurement. Two computers with similar-looking specifications may draw different amounts at the wall because their processors, graphics hardware, power supplies, cooling, age and workload differ. Even the same computer may draw more during one part of a broadcast than another.
The 1080p label describes the output resolution; it does not tell you the PC’s electricity use. Frame rate, encoder choice, scene composition and how efficiently the computer handles the work all matter. YouTube’s live encoder guidance gives H.264 recommended bitrate ranges of 5–14 Mbps for 1080p at 30 fps and 6–17 Mbps at 60 fps. Those are streaming settings, not wattage estimates.
A loop with a mostly static image may be less demanding than a scene with frequent motion or several animated elements, but that is a reason to test your own setup, not a basis for assigning it a particular draw. OBS Project notes that compatible hardware alone does not guarantee successful streaming: the encoder, resolution, frame rate and scene complexity affect what a system can manage. Its system requirements guidance is useful context, but it cannot tell you what your machine will consume from your outlet.
A power supply’s printed rating is not the computer’s ongoing draw, either. It describes a capacity, not the energy the PC uses while your loop is live. For a meaningful comparison, focus on average wall power while the channel is operating under representative conditions.
That is why a reusable estimate is more helpful than asking for “the cost of a low-end PC”. Once you have a measured average, you can change the running schedule or local tariff in the same calculation without treating a national average as your own bill rate.
Measure average wall power while streaming
The practical way to get a reading is to measure the computer at the wall while it is doing the work you intend to leave running. A plug-in electricity usage monitor can show power or accumulated energy; choose one suitable for your outlet and electrical system. This is a measurement aid, not a guarantee of precision or a product recommendation.
Set up the stream as you would operate it overnight: use the intended video file, encoder, resolution, frame rate and scene. Let the system settle into its normal pattern, then observe the reading across a representative period rather than relying on a momentary peak or a brief idle value. If the meter can accumulate kilowatt-hours over time, you can calculate the average draw from the energy it records and the duration observed.
For example, if a meter records energy use over a known number of hours, divide the recorded kWh by the hours and multiply by 1,000 to get average watts. Do not substitute an assumed draw simply because the machine is described as an entry-level PC. Repeat the check if you make a material change to the encoder, output settings, or equipment left on.
Decide what you are measuring. If the monitor remains on only because you are managing the stream, include it in a separate reading or measure it with the PC. The same applies to a router or other equipment that would otherwise be switched off. Be precise in your notes: “PC only” and “PC plus display and network equipment” describe different totals.
If you cannot measure the entire setup at once, record each load separately and add the energy estimates for the items that remain on because of the broadcast. Avoid counting equipment that would be running anyway as a new stream cost unless your purpose is to calculate the whole household or business bill. The useful figure depends on the question you are trying to answer.
A short test also checks whether the PC can hold the intended stream settings. OBS recommends hardware encoding in general to shift work away from the CPU, while noting that older hardware encoders can have a quality trade-off at a given bitrate. Its hardware encoding notes can help you understand that choice. If the machine struggles, OBS’s encoding troubleshooting guidance suggests reducing output resolution or frame rate; if 60 fps is not working, try 30 fps.
For an unattended channel, test the loop and monitor YouTube’s stream health before relying on it through the night. Check OBS’s encoding status, dropped frames and temperatures as practical checks, and confirm that the file returns to its beginning as expected. These checks do not guarantee a fault-free broadcast, but they can reveal problems before you treat a short test as a normal operating pattern.
Use the cost formula
Use this formula for electricity consumed by the equipment included in your measurement:
Cost = (average watts ÷ 1,000) × operating hours × price per kWh
The first step converts watts into kilowatts, because electricity rates are usually quoted per kilowatt-hour. Multiply that power by the actual hours the equipment runs, then multiply the resulting energy use by the rate on your bill. Keep the units consistent: watts, hours and a price expressed per kWh.
For a 24/7 schedule over a 30-day month, the operating-hours assumption is 24 × 30, or 720 hours. A different month length or a schedule with planned off-hours changes the hours term. Use the hours you actually expect, rather than treating “always-on” as a universal calendar period.
For example, a measured average of 100 W over 720 hours is 72 kWh: 100 ÷ 1,000 × 720. At a hypothetical rate of 20 pence per kWh, the energy charge in this simple calculation would be £14.40. That rate is only an arithmetic illustration, not a claim about what you pay; replace it with your bill’s applicable rate and currency.
The result is an energy-cost estimate. A bill can also include fixed charges, taxes, time-of-use pricing or other items that do not scale directly with the PC’s kWh. If your tariff changes by time of day, a single average rate can be misleading; use the applicable rates for the hours the channel actually runs, or compare the calculation with the variable energy portion of your bill.
You can also work backwards. If you know the energy charge you are willing to budget for, divide that amount by your price per kWh to find the kWh allowance, then divide by the planned hours to find the average kilowatts allowed. Multiply by 1,000 for watts. This does not make the PC draw less, but it gives you a threshold to check against the meter.
Illustrative 30-day cost scenarios
The table holds the schedule and price constant to show how a different assumed average draw changes the arithmetic. The rate is the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2025 national residential average, 17.30¢/kWh, as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration for 2025. It is a dated U.S. reference point, not your tariff and not a residential rate for every country or state.
| Assumed average draw | Energy in 30 days at 720 hours | Illustrative cost at 17.30¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 50 W | 36 kWh | $6.23 |
| 100 W | 72 kWh | $12.46 |
| 150 W | 108 kWh | $18.68 |
Every wattage in that table is an assumption for arithmetic, not a measured result for a low-end PC. The dollar amounts are likewise examples built from the stated U.S. national average. They are useful for seeing the relationship between draw and cost: doubling the assumed draw doubles the energy and the estimate when the hours and rate stay the same.
The 2025 EIA reported a range of 8.20¢/kWh in North Dakota to 35.72¢/kWh in Hawaii across all customer types. That is not a residential-only state range, and it is not a substitute for your bill. Use it only as context for why the same measured consumption can produce different illustrative costs in different places.
If your bill uses another currency or rate, do not convert the table’s dollar figures and call them a local estimate. Keep the measured kWh and apply the price from your own bill. For a useful comparison, state both the assumed or measured draw and the tariff used, so a reader can see what is fixed and what must be replaced.
Apply your local electricity rate
Find the energy rate on a recent bill or the supplier’s tariff information. Depending on where you live, you may see a price per kWh, a time-of-use schedule, or a bill with fixed and variable components. Use the rate that applies to the hours of your stream. If the displayed bill total includes standing charges or unrelated fees, dividing the whole total by household kWh may give a rough average but will not isolate the marginal cost of adding the stream.
To replace the EIA assumption in the table, take your measured average watts and your planned hours, calculate kWh, and multiply by your own price per kWh. If you are billed in rupees, pence or another currency, keep that currency through the calculation. For example, measured 72 kWh multiplied by your local rate of ₹X per kWh gives ₹72X; insert the actual number from your bill rather than relying on a national comparison.
Where rates vary by time, split the operating schedule into the relevant periods. Calculate the kWh used in each period and multiply by that period’s rate, then add the subtotals. This matters if a continuous stream overlaps peak and off-peak periods; a single blended estimate is only as good as the rate used to form it.
You can make the estimate more personal with a meter reading over a representative run. Record starting and ending kWh for the exact set of devices included, and note the elapsed hours. That direct energy reading already reflects variation in the PC’s activity during the observation period. Divide by time if you need an average watt figure, or multiply recorded kWh by your bill rate to estimate the energy charge directly.
If you run a devotional playlist from a PC in India, for instance, measure whether the PC alone is on overnight or whether the display and router stay powered as part of the arrangement. Then use the tariff applicable to the relevant connection and billing period. The label “1080p” does not determine the answer, and a U.S. average cannot stand in for a local tariff.
Other costs beyond electricity
Electricity is only one part of keeping a loop on air. A PC-based setup may also rely on a stable internet connection, and the monthly broadband charge may be fixed whether or not the stream runs. If the stream causes you to buy a higher plan or additional data, count that incremental expense separately rather than folding it into the electricity formula.
There may be equipment costs over time: replacing a fan, storage drive or power supply, or purchasing a meter to understand consumption. Those are not monthly electricity charges, and the formula does not predict when hardware will fail. Keep capital and maintenance costs in a separate budget line so you do not confuse a low estimated power bill with a low total operating cost.
Your own time has value too. A setup that needs manual restarts or repeated checks may cost more in attention than a setup that runs unattended, even if both use similar power. You can record the time spent recovering a stream during a trial period, but do not assume that one configuration will never need attention.
For a continuous channel, reliability and power are related in practice but are not the same metric. A system that draws modest power but cannot sustain the output you need may not be a useful choice. Conversely, a PC that can run the stream may add heat, fan noise and wear in the room where it operates. Test the intended resolution and frame rate and weigh those operating trade-offs alongside measured kWh.
If the recurring task you want to remove is leaving your own computer switched on, StreamNeo turns an uploaded video into a 24/7 YouTube live stream, so you can run the broadcast without keeping that PC on for the job. That changes which electricity load you need to consider; it does not mean your channel has no costs, or that every other device and service disappears. It is YouTube-only, so account for the platform and workflow you actually use.
The clean comparison is therefore not “PC cost versus no cost”. Compare the measured PC electricity and any equipment that is genuinely added by the stream with the operating costs and constraints of the alternative you are considering. Use the same operating period and be explicit about what each total includes.
A practical decision process
Start by writing down your intended schedule, output settings and equipment list. A channel that runs only overnight has a different hours figure from a continuous loop, while 1080p30 and 1080p60 are not interchangeable settings. YouTube’s bitrate recommendations differ between those frame rates, but your computer’s actual stability and draw still need to be checked on the machine itself.
Next, test a representative broadcast and measure wall energy or average watts. Include only the devices you want the estimate to cover, and label any additional display or network equipment separately. If the stream fails to hold settings, adjust the encoder or output based on OBS’s guidance, then measure again because changed settings can change the workload.
Finally, apply your local energy rate and keep an uncertainty note. If your meter reading covers one representative test rather than many days, say so; activity and tariff timing may vary. A range based on actual observed variation is more useful than pretending a single short reading is exact.
The internal guides on looping the same video file all day and 24/7 stream data use cover adjacent parts of the same operating decision. If you are tuning an NVIDIA-based playlist, see the YouTube bitrate settings for an NVIDIA GPU playlist stream. These are separate questions from electricity, but considering them together helps you avoid optimising one part of the setup while overlooking another.
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 many units will a 100 W PC use in a 30-day 24/7 month?
At a constant average draw of 100 W, the calculation is 0.1 kW × 720 hours, or 72 kWh. That is an assumed draw for illustration, not a claim about a particular PC; measure your own setup to replace it.
Does a 1080p stream always use more electricity than a 720p stream?
Not necessarily in a predictable amount. Resolution, frame rate, encoder, scene and hardware affect the workload, and the stream’s resolution alone does not reveal wall power. Measure the configurations you are comparing rather than assigning a fixed electricity difference to each resolution.
Should I include my monitor and router?
Include them if you want the cost of all equipment that stays on because of the stream. Measure them separately or together and state clearly what the total covers; equipment you would keep on anyway may not be an incremental stream cost.
Is the EIA figure what I should use for my bill?
No. The 17.30¢/kWh figure is the EIA’s 2025 U.S. residential average, included as a dated illustration. Use the applicable energy rate on your own bill or tariff, and account separately for fixed charges or time-of-use rates where relevant.