There is no single reliable wattage for a Windows PC playing YouTube around the clock. Measure the PC and any display that stays on at the wall, then use the average watts and your actual hours to calculate energy; the rupee cost depends on the tariff that applies to your home.
For continuous use over a 30-day month, the calculation is average watts × 24 × 30 ÷ 1,000. A 100 W setup would use 72 kWh in that period, but that is an arithmetic example, not a typical-PC estimate. Your measured result may be higher or lower, and your electricity bill cannot be estimated honestly without your local rate and billing details.
Why there is no single PC wattage
“Windows PC” covers devices with different processors, graphics hardware, power supplies, cooling, and connected equipment. Even the same machine can draw differently while idle, playing a video, or doing other work. There is no current, representative measurement here for every Windows PC playing YouTube, so a generic wattage would pretend to know more than it does.
It also matters what you mean by “24/7 YouTube”. You might mean a browser playing a video locally, with the monitor lit all night. Or you might mean operating a live-stream encoder that sends video to YouTube. Those are different workloads. This article estimates local playback on your PC, not the separate job of encoding and broadcasting a live stream.
The power supply’s rating is not a measurement of what your computer draws continuously. It describes the supply’s capacity, not the average energy use of the whole setup in your intended task. Likewise, a number reported for one computer does not establish what yours uses. If you are preparing a playlist for a channel, the practical choices described in preparing Indian classical music videos for a YouTube live loop may help clarify the playback setup, but they do not substitute for measuring its electricity use.
A useful answer therefore starts with your actual equipment, settings, and routine. Decide which items belong in the estimate, measure them while they are doing the job you intend, and keep the measured average separate from any assumptions you make about the monthly bill.
Measure the setup at the wall
A plug-in electricity usage monitor, sometimes called an outlet power meter, measures electricity passing through it. Put the PC’s plug through the monitor, use the computer as you expect to use it, and read or record the average watts shown. If the device records energy over time as well, that can help you see how the reading changes rather than relying on a brief glance.
Test the configuration you intend to run: the same PC, browser or app, video, and playback settings. If you expect playback to continue overnight, include that period in a representative measurement. A momentary reading may not capture the average for a routine that alternates between busier and quieter periods. The measurement describes only the hardware and conditions included in that test.
Write down what was plugged into the monitor. If you measure the PC alone, you have not measured a display or router on a separate socket. If you want the combined draw, include the relevant plugs through the same monitor if its rating and socket arrangement allow it. Follow the monitor’s instructions and do not exceed its stated electrical limits.
A meter is more useful than guessing from a component label, but it does not answer every question about the bill. It measures the electrical use of what passes through it, not the tariff or other household charges. If the reading varies, use an average over a period that reflects the normal routine rather than selecting the lowest value you happened to see.
| Approach | Useful for | What it does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Plug-in wall measurement | Estimating the actual setup under tested conditions | Use outside the devices and measurement period included in the test |
| Power supply rating | Identifying a component’s rated capacity | The PC’s average wall draw while playing YouTube |
| Historical desktop reference | Seeing a dated example of separate PC and monitor estimates | What a current individual PC uses for YouTube playback |
If your channel depends on a particular PC staying available, electricity is only one operational question. For example, planning for scheduled power cuts in India when running OBS concerns continuity as well as hardware use; it should not be read as a measurement of your monthly energy.
Include displays and the actual workload
Measure the display if it will stay illuminated. A desktop monitor is a separate electrical load, and its contribution disappears from your estimate if you only put the PC’s plug through the wall meter. The International Energy Agency’s 2009 desktop table listed a historical estimated 65 W PC plus 32 W monitor in “Idle” mode, and 85 W PC plus 35 W monitor in “Active” mode. Those are old desktop estimates, not YouTube-specific readings or a prediction for your equipment. The figures are useful here only to illustrate why a whole setup can include more than the computer itself.
Also decide whether network equipment is in scope. If the router or another device must remain powered for the intended playback, you can include it in a combined measurement or measure it separately and add its energy. Be clear about which option you used. An estimate of the PC and monitor alone is not an estimate of every device supporting playback.
The playback conditions matter because they define the task being measured. Note whether video continues the whole time, whether the screen remains on, and which app or browser you use. Do not assign an unsupported number of watts to resolution or a particular app. Measure the setup with the settings you intend to keep.
Windows also has power and screen settings that affect what happens when the computer is left alone. Microsoft’s Windows 11 power settings guidance explains screen and sleep timeouts and power modes. If the PC sleeps, continuous playback stops, so a setting that reduces use by putting the computer to sleep does not meet a 24/7 playback requirement. If you only need audio at some times, turning off the display may suit that use, but measure the altered setup rather than assuming a fixed saving.
Some Windows video playback settings can lower resolution in supported apps to save network bandwidth. That guidance does not establish a particular electricity reduction for YouTube on your PC. Treat it as a bandwidth option, not a guaranteed power-saving measure.
Calculate monthly energy in kWh
Electricity use is commonly expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A watt is a rate of power; to calculate energy, multiply the average watts by the number of hours and divide by 1,000. In general:
Energy (kWh) = average watts × hours ÷ 1,000.
For a continuous daily schedule over a 30-day month, the hours are 24 × 30, so the convenient form is:
Monthly energy (kWh) = average watts × 24 × 30 ÷ 1,000.
The arithmetic means that for this particular duration, you can multiply average watts by 0.72 to get kWh. Use the number of days that matches your estimate rather than treating every billing period as exactly 30 days. For partial-day use, substitute the actual number of hours. If your meter reports kWh over a representative period, you can also scale that observed energy to your planned schedule, while stating what period and conditions you measured.
Keep the inputs visible in your notes. For instance, record “average wall draw for PC and monitor”, the measurement period, and the assumed hours per day. That makes the result auditable and easier to revise if the PC, display, or schedule changes. Do not convert the power supply’s maximum rating into monthly kWh as though it were the measured average.
A local playback computer and a live-stream encoder are not interchangeable in this calculation. If you are estimating a machine that encodes and sends a stream rather than just playing a YouTube video, measure that encoder workload separately. Guides such as scheduling different video playlists in an FFmpeg YouTube stream address a broadcast workflow, not a universal power figure.
Worked example: 100 W uses 72 kWh in 30 days
Suppose, purely for arithmetic, that a wall meter showed an average of 100 W for the complete setup you chose to include. For 24 hours a day over 30 days:
100 W × 24 hours × 30 days ÷ 1,000 = 72 kWh.
This shows how to use the formula; it does not say that a typical Windows PC playing YouTube uses 100 W. Do not use 72 kWh as your own estimate unless your measured average and usage period support it. Substitute your own wall-measured average watts to calculate the energy for your setup.
If your average were a different measured value, the method would be unchanged: multiply that value by the hours in the period and divide by 1,000. For a period shorter or longer than 30 days, adjust the hours accordingly. That is more transparent than choosing an assumed “usual” PC figure and applying it to every reader.
The 72 kWh result is energy for the specified setup and period, not the total household bill. Other loads in the home continue to contribute, and the electricity account may include charges or adjustments beyond a simple energy charge. The next step is to identify the tariff and billing rules that actually apply to you.
Estimate cost using your applicable rate
Once you have a kWh estimate, you can make a first energy-charge calculation using the applicable rate for your home: estimated kWh × applicable rate per kWh. The rate must come from your own bill or the current schedule for your electricity distribution utility and consumer category. Do not substitute a rate found for another state, utility, or type of consumer.
The Press Information Bureau’s Government of India release states that electricity tariffs in India are determined by the appropriate Electricity Regulatory Commissions under the Electricity Act, 2003. That is why there is no defensible single India-wide rupee amount for this example. Location, distribution utility, household category, slab, and current tariff all matter. Check the latest official schedule or your bill before using a rate.
A utility calculator may help if it covers your service area and makes its tariff basis clear. For example, WBSEDCL’s energy cost estimator is a utility-specific tool that refers to tariff orders passed by WBERC. Use it only if its service area and assumptions apply to your account; it is not a national tariff calculator.
The energy-charge multiplication is an estimate, not necessarily the amount by which your total bill will rise. A household bill can also reflect fixed charges, duties, subsidies, or slab calculations. Depending on how your tariff is structured, adding consumption can affect which rate applies to some units. Read the billing method that applies to your account and treat any simple multiplication as a limited estimate, not a bill guarantee.
Keep the calculation in two steps: first establish your measured kWh, then apply the local billing rules. That avoids hiding an unknown wattage behind a precise rupee figure. If a bill or tariff schedule is hard to interpret, consult the utility’s current customer guidance rather than importing another household’s rate.
Choose the setup that matches the job
If you are calculating the cost of leaving a Windows PC playing a YouTube video, measure that PC playback use case. If instead you are deciding how to operate a 24/7 channel, be clear that a continuously running local computer and a video broadcast to YouTube are different jobs. An estimate for one cannot automatically be used as the energy estimate for the other.
A local PC may be the right choice when you need interactive control or must perform work on that computer. It also means the machine and any required display need to remain in the intended operating state. Before relying on an overnight routine, test it: confirm that playback continues, the display behaves as intended, and sleep settings do not stop the work.
For a prepared video that needs to remain on a YouTube live channel without keeping your own computer switched on, StreamNeo removes the need to leave that PC running for the broadcast by turning an uploaded video into a 24/7 YouTube live stream. That is a different operating arrangement from local YouTube playback, so compare the requirements of the job rather than treating the two power estimates as equivalent. It is YouTube-only; it does not provide a general-purpose way to run a local PC workload.
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 100 W a typical Windows PC draw for YouTube?
No. It is an arithmetic example used to show that 100 W sustained for 30 days equals 72 kWh. Your PC, display, workload, and settings may produce a different average, so use a wall measurement for your estimate.
Should I include my monitor in the calculation?
Yes, if it stays on as part of the setup you want to estimate. Put its plug through the monitor meter with the PC, or measure it separately and add its energy. State clearly whether your result includes only the PC or the display and other equipment as well.
Can I work out the rupee cost from a national average rate?
A single India-wide rate is not a sound basis for a household estimate. Use the tariff and billing rules for your own utility and consumer category, checked against your current bill or official schedule. The simple kWh-times-rate calculation may still omit other charges or slab effects.
Does switching off the display make a known amount of difference?
The display will no longer be part of the illuminated setup, but the amount depends on the equipment and conditions. Measure the PC with the display on and off if you want a setup-specific comparison. Do not assume a fixed saving from a general setting or published estimate.