There is no single India-wide price for running an OBS loop stream on a PC. Measure the PC’s average power draw at the wall while it is streaming, multiply by the hours you will run it, then apply the marginal energy rate that applies to your electricity connection.
That gives you an estimate of the energy charge, not a guaranteed change to the total bill. Your location, consumer category, household consumption slab, subsidy eligibility and other bill components can all affect what you pay.
Why the price depends on your connection
The phrase “electricity cost in India” hides several different inputs. Retail tariffs are determined by the appropriate electricity regulatory commissions, while state governments may subsidise eligible consumer categories. The Ministry of Power explains this division in its statement on electricity tariffs. A household in one state, or on one type of connection, may therefore face a different schedule from a household elsewhere.
Your own consumption matters too. Some schedules charge domestic energy in bands, and the rate for the next unit can differ from rates applying to earlier units. If you add a stream to a home already close to a band boundary, those units may be priced differently from the units you used before. Subsidies and billing rules can change the effective amount again.
The question also does not say what computer you have, which OBS settings you will use, or how many hours it will run. A desktop that is already on for other work has a different incremental cost from one switched on solely to keep a broadcast running. A stream with a busy scene and software encoding may draw differently from a quiet, simpler scene or a hardware-encoded one. There is no responsible way to produce a rupee figure without those inputs.
For context across states and consumer categories, the Central Electricity Authority publishes a tariff and duty compilation for India. Treat a compilation as a route to the relevant schedule, not a substitute for checking your current bill and local tariff order. The rate that matters for your estimate is the marginal rate for your connection and expected extra units, not a headline number for another state.
Measure the PC while the stream is running
Start with the electricity taken from the wall by the whole PC, not a number printed on one component. A power supply unit labelled with a maximum output rating is not a meter: that rating describes what it can deliver under specified conditions, not the computer’s actual draw during your stream. Graphics cards and processors also have rated limits, but their individual figures do not tell you what the complete PC draws at the socket.
A plug-in electricity usage meter can measure wall-side watts or accumulated kilowatt-hours. It is optional; if you use one, check that it is suitable for the outlet and electrical load. Follow its instructions, and measure the complete PC through the meter. If your stream setup includes a separate display, router, capture device, speakers or audio equipment, decide whether the estimate is for the PC alone or for all equipment and measure or account for those devices separately.
To make the result relevant, run the actual loop with the intended OBS scene, encoder, resolution and frame rate. Let the setup settle into normal operation, then observe the reading over a representative period rather than relying on a momentary peak or a brief idle reading. If the scene changes during the loop, include those scenes in the measurement. A static title card and a changing video with overlays do not necessarily impose the same load.
OBS’s system requirements guidance cautions that a compatible system is not automatically capable of streaming or recording adequately. That is a useful reminder not to infer either performance or electricity use from the fact that OBS opens. Your settings and actual workload matter. If a stream stutters or the PC struggles, resolve that before treating a low meter reading as a useful cost-saving target.
For a more reliable average, note the meter at the start and end of a longer test and divide measured energy by elapsed hours. A reading that fluctuates while OBS renders, encodes and sends the stream is normal; an average over the intended workload is more useful than a single number. Keep the test conditions the same when comparing two encoders or scene settings. Measure each mode instead of assuming that hardware encoding always uses less power or that a higher resolution has a fixed cost.
Turn watts and hours into units
Electricity bills usually express energy in units, where one unit is one kilowatt-hour (kWh). The calculation from average wall draw is:
Energy (kWh) = average draw (watts) × streaming hours ÷ 1,000
Then estimate the energy charge with:
Energy charge (₹) ≈ energy (kWh) × applicable marginal tariff (₹/kWh)
Use the average watts measured during the stream. For example, if the meter shows an average of W watts and you stream H hours, the energy is (W ÷ 1,000) × H kWh. Keeping W and H as your own measured values avoids turning a made-up sample computer into advice for someone else’s PC.
If the meter reports kWh rather than watts, the arithmetic is simpler. Record energy over a representative test period, then scale it to the number of equivalent periods you plan to stream. For instance, if you measure a full day, multiply that observed daily energy by the number of planned streaming days. This works best when the test includes normal scene changes and the computer’s usual operating state.
Be consistent about what is included. A PC-only figure does not include a monitor left on beside it, and neither figure necessarily includes the broadband router or audio equipment. If those devices would already be on for other reasons, you may want to separate their background use from the incremental cost of streaming. If the stream is the reason they remain powered, include them in a whole-setup estimate. State which approach you used so you can compare estimates honestly.
A computer that serves more than one purpose also raises an incremental-versus-total question. The meter’s total reading describes the energy consumed during the stream, but the extra cost caused by streaming is the difference between the stream workload and the counterfactual you care about. If you would otherwise switch the PC off, the streaming reading is a reasonable measure of extra use. If you would already leave it on for work, measure the difference between normal use and streaming rather than assigning all PC energy to OBS.
Apply the marginal rate on your bill
Find the energy-charge schedule for your consumer category and billing period. Your bill may show the category, units consumed, energy charges, fixed charges, duties and adjustments; the distribution company or regulator’s current tariff order can clarify how the schedule is applied. The CEA compilation is useful for locating state context, but check the relevant authority’s current order and any subsidy reflected on your own account.
The marginal rate means the charge for the additional units you expect to use, given your existing consumption and the tariff’s rules. It is not always the average energy charge you get by dividing the bill’s energy-charge line by total units. If your household is within a band and additional units remain in that band, that band’s rate may be a reasonable approximation. If extra use crosses a threshold, price the units on each applicable part of the schedule according to its rules.
Tariff schedules are location-specific examples, not national estimates. For instance, the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s FY 2026–27 tariff schedule sets domestic energy charges by consumption band and describes them as telescopic; it also notes state subsidy for eligible domestic consumers. This tells you why a single rate can mislead, but it does not tell a household elsewhere what to pay. The Lakshadweep tariff schedule is another location-specific reference with its own bands.
If you use a tariff figure in your own working, label where it came from and the billing period it covers. Rates and subsidies can change, and the actual subsidy available may depend on the consumer category or other eligibility conditions. Do not carry forward last year’s rate simply because it appears on an old bill. Check the current schedule and the amount actually applied to your account.
Why the energy charge is not the whole bill
The multiplication above estimates the energy-charge component. It does not guarantee the total bill impact. Bills may include fixed or customer charges, electricity duty, taxes, adjustments, time-of-day charges or other local components. Some are not directly proportional to each extra unit, while others may apply to energy charges or vary by category. A stream does not necessarily cause every fixed charge on the household bill to rise, so adding all fixed charges to the stream would also be misleading.
Slab rules need particular care. In a telescopic schedule, units in successive bands are charged at the rate for their band. If additional streaming use takes household consumption into a higher band, the increase may include more than just the new units: some schedules may apply the higher band only to units beyond a threshold, while other rules can differ. Read the wording of the applicable order rather than assuming all units are repriced at the top rate or that every unit has the same rate.
A subsidy can make the amount collected from an eligible household differ from the published energy charge. The Ministry of Power notes the role of state support, and a bill may show a subsidy or adjustment as a separate line. For an incremental estimate, use the rate and rules that actually apply to your connection, but describe the result as an estimate. A change in consumption could affect eligibility or billing treatment in ways a simple multiplication cannot capture.
For a practical range, work out a lower and upper estimate from plausible meter readings or stream hours, then show the tariff assumptions beside each result. Do not make the range look more precise than your meter and bill allow. The point is to understand whether the PC adds a small or material energy charge for your circumstances, not to predict every line of the next bill to the rupee.
Convert a continuous schedule into monthly hours
For an always-on stream, use the hours you actually expect to broadcast in the billing month. A continuous schedule is 24 hours × the number of streaming days. Put that result into the same kWh formula: average measured watts multiplied by monthly hours, divided by 1,000. If you plan to stop for maintenance, travel or a scheduled break, subtract those hours rather than treating every calendar day as a full day.
The calculation is easy to repeat with a spreadsheet. Keep one row for each operating mode: measured average wall watts, stream hours per day, streaming days, calculated kWh and marginal rate. Add separate rows for other equipment only if it belongs in the estimate. This makes it possible to test changes such as a shorter daily schedule or a different OBS scene without pretending that settings have a fixed, universal power saving.
Continuous streaming also makes small measurement mistakes matter more over time. A brief idle test can understate the draw of a PC that later encodes a changing loop all night; a short peak reading can overstate the average. Measure long enough to include the normal mix of activity, then use the actual monthly schedule. Re-measure after a significant change in encoder, scene, display arrangement or PC components.
The electricity calculation is only one operating consideration. If you need to leave a computer running overnight, think through what happens after a power cut, a crash or an OBS failure. The guide on restarting a church YouTube stream after a power cut covers the recovery side of a similar always-on problem. For a loop from a prerecorded file, it is also useful to understand the trade-offs in OBS versus FFmpeg for a prerecorded YouTube loop.
If the recurring work of keeping a PC powered and the stream alive is the pain you are trying to remove, StreamNeo can run an uploaded video as a 24/7 YouTube live stream without leaving your computer on. It is YouTube-only, so first confirm that the video and channel suit that workflow; the electricity estimate for your own PC remains useful when comparing whether to keep operating it locally.
Check the estimate against an electricity bill
Once you have measured energy and applied a marginal rate, compare your assumptions with a real bill. Note the billing dates, total units, consumer category, energy-charge lines, duties, fixed charges, subsidy or adjustments. The bill is a record of a whole household and billing period, not a direct meter for OBS, so it cannot isolate the stream by itself. It can still reveal whether your assumed tariff category or effective charges are obviously inconsistent with what you pay.
A careful check is to record a baseline period without the stream, then a comparable period with the stream, while keeping other usage as stable as practical. Compare the unit totals and bill components, taking account of differences in billing length, weather-related appliance use, household occupancy and any tariff changes. This is not a controlled experiment, but it can show whether the measured estimate is in the right vicinity. If other loads changed substantially, do not attribute the entire bill difference to OBS.
Keep the meter reading and bill details together. Record the test dates, stream settings, whether the monitor or router was included, average watts or measured kWh, monthly hours assumed, and the rate schedule used. If you revisit the estimate after changing the PC or tariff, these notes make the comparison meaningful. The method is more transferable than a rupee figure from someone else’s house because it preserves the inputs that determine the result.
If you are deciding between keeping a dedicated PC on and changing the operating arrangement, include more than electricity in the decision: supervision, recovery after interruptions and the value of using that computer for other work all matter. A PC-based stream gives you direct control over OBS and any local sources, but it keeps the machine involved throughout the schedule. For broader context on running a stream without a PC, see how to manage a 24/7 YouTube stream from your phone without a PC. That is a separate workflow question, not a substitute for checking your tariff.
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
Can you give me a typical rupee cost for an OBS loop stream in India?
Not without knowing the PC’s measured wall draw, stream hours and applicable marginal tariff. India does not have one retail energy rate for every household, and bill slabs or subsidies can change the result. Measure your own setup and calculate its kWh first.
Should I use the wattage printed on my PC’s power supply?
No. That is a rating, not a measurement of what the PC draws while encoding your loop. Use a suitable plug-in meter at the wall while the actual stream is running, and be clear whether you measured the PC alone or the full setup.
Does multiplying units by the tariff predict the next bill exactly?
It estimates the energy-charge portion under the tariff assumption you chose. Fixed charges, duties, adjustments, subsidies and slab rules can make the final bill differ, and some may not change directly with the stream’s extra units. Check the current schedule and your bill for the applicable treatment.
How do I estimate a 24/7 month?
Multiply 24 hours by the number of days you will actually stream, then use that total in the measured-watts formula. If you expect interruptions or planned breaks, use the actual operating hours instead of assuming every day is continuous.