A 30-day estimate for PC electricity alone is about ₹605–₹1,152 if a second-hand desktop averages 120–200 W at the wall and your marginal electricity rate is ₹7–₹8 per kWh. Those are illustrative assumptions, not a test of a particular used PC or a tariff that applies across India.
To make the estimate yours, measure the whole computer’s average wall draw while it is doing the intended streaming work, then use the marginal energy rate relevant to your household bill. This calculation covers the PC’s energy use only; it is not the complete monthly cost of running a channel.
An illustrative electricity estimate
A 30-day month contains 720 hours. At 120 W, a computer uses 0.120 kW × 720 hours, or 86.4 kWh. At 200 W, it uses 0.200 kW × 720 hours, or 144 kWh. Applying the illustrative ₹7–₹8 per kWh rates gives a range of roughly ₹605 to ₹1,152 for the PC’s electricity over those 30 days.
| Average PC draw at the wall | Energy over 30 days | At ₹7/kWh | At ₹8/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 W | 86.4 kWh | ₹604.80 | ₹691.20 |
| 200 W | 144 kWh | ₹1,008 | ₹1,152 |
Rounded to whole rupees, the outer endpoints are ₹605 and ₹1,152. The table is a scenario envelope: the low figure pairs the lower assumed draw with the lower assumed rate, and the high figure pairs the upper assumptions. It is not a prediction for every second-hand desktop, nor does it imply that every household’s bill changes by exactly that amount.
The arithmetic is deliberately narrow. It estimates energy consumed by the computer, multiplied by an assumed marginal price for each unit. It does not include a monitor, router, backup power losses, broadband, repairs, replacement parts, fixed charges or the cost of a stream being interrupted. Keeping the boundary clear makes the result useful rather than falsely precise.
What the wattage and tariff assumptions mean
The 120–200 W range is an assumed average draw for this worked example, not a published measurement of second-hand PCs used for study-music channels in India. A power supply label or its rated capacity does not tell you the computer’s average consumption. A machine’s components, settings and actual workload matter, and the value at the wall is the one relevant to this bill estimate.
The ₹7–₹8/kWh range is also an assumption for illustration, not a national domestic tariff. Retail electricity tariffs are set by state electricity regulatory commissions, and the Ministry of Power notes that subsidies may apply to some consumer groups. Household category, utility, slab position, duties, subsidies and any applicable time-of-day structure can all affect what an additional unit costs. See the Ministry of Power’s explanation of the tariff framework and check your current bill or utility information rather than borrowing a rate from another state.
A published tariff schedule may list several components and slabs, while your bill can include fixed charges or adjustments. For this estimate, use the marginal energy price: the amount that applies to the additional units your computer causes you to use. If you cannot identify it confidently, keep your estimate as a range and ask your utility how the next unit is billed. The Central Electricity Authority lists its March 2026 tariff and duty publication, but a national publication is not a substitute for the current schedule and bill details for your own connection.
Calculate monthly kWh from wall draw
Start with average watts, divide by 1,000 to convert to kilowatts, and multiply by the hours the computer is actually drawing that power. For continuous operation over a 30-day month, the hours are 30 × 24 = 720. The general formula is:
Monthly kWh = average watts at the wall ÷ 1,000 × hours used
For example, if your measured average is 150 W, the calculation is 0.150 kW × 720 hours = 108 kWh. This is energy, not rupees. You multiply the kWh result by your chosen marginal rate in the next step. If you are estimating a month with a different number of days, replace 720 with the actual number of days multiplied by 24; do not quietly treat every calendar month as 30 days.
For a closer measurement, put a plug-in energy meter between the wall socket and the computer, following the meter’s instructions and the electrical limits stated by its maker. Measure the complete computer, including the components normally plugged into its power supply, rather than relying on a software estimate or a power supply’s maximum rating. Observe it under the kind of sustained load you expect for the channel, and use an average rather than a momentary peak. If the meter reports cumulative kWh over a representative period, dividing by the measured hours gives an average rate of energy use; multiplying that by 1,000 gives average watts.
Keep the measurement period representative. A computer that is idle at the desktop may draw differently once it is encoding video, playing audio, or handling other background work. Conversely, a test that includes a short setup task or a software update may overstate an ordinary day if it is not part of the regular stream. Record what was running during the measurement so you can compare like with like later.
Apply your own marginal rate
Once you have monthly kWh, multiply it by the price that applies to the next units on your household connection. If your measured computer averages 150 W, the 30-day energy estimate is 108 kWh. At an illustrative ₹7/kWh, that would be ₹756; at ₹8/kWh, it would be ₹864. These example amounts are arithmetic from the stated assumptions, not a claim about your local tariff.
If your bill has slabs, the incremental rate may depend on which slab your household reaches after adding the computer’s use. A household already near a slab boundary can face a different marginal cost from one comfortably within a lower slab. Subsidies, duties and other billing elements may also affect the final amount due, which is why multiplying by a simple rate is an estimate of the additional energy charge, not a guarantee of the precise bill change.
When reviewing a bill, look for the units consumed, the applicable domestic category, the energy charge structure and any subsidy or duty information. Your latest bill may not provide a clean single figure for the next unit, particularly if rates vary by slab or time. In that case, calculate a low and high case using plausible rates from the official schedule for your connection, and label the result accordingly. Avoid using a friend’s bill or an online national average as though it represented your meter.
Why used PCs can differ in draw
“Second-hand PC” is not a single electrical specification. Two used desktops can have different processors, graphics hardware, power supplies, storage devices and cooling arrangements. Even systems with similar parts can draw differently depending on configuration, firmware settings, background tasks and the work being performed. Age alone does not tell you what the meter will show.
For a study-music loop, the workload may be modest compared with a demanding game or a complex video encode, but do not assume the computer is always at idle. A local playback and a live encoder can keep some components active continuously. If you are using a separate graphics card or encoding at a higher quality, measure that exact arrangement rather than extrapolating from a lighter test. The point is not to guess which component dominates; it is to observe the complete system as you will run it.
The computer’s power supply rating is its capacity, not a promise that the PC consumes that many watts around the clock. Likewise, a short peak reading is not the monthly average. For budgeting, use sustained average wall draw over representative operation, then retain some uncertainty if your stream workload or settings may change. A used PC that appears inexpensive to buy can still be a poor fit if it needs frequent repairs or consumes more energy than your measured alternative.
Separate electricity from other costs
A PC-only energy number answers one question: what may the computer add to electricity use under the stated draw and rate assumptions? It does not answer whether the channel is economical to operate. Make a separate monthly budget for broadband, any monitor or router left on, backup power, maintenance, storage or replacement parts, and the value of time spent restoring a failed stream.
Some of those costs are shared with household use. A router may already run all day for other devices, so charging the channel for its full purchase or full electricity use would misstate the incremental cost. A UPS can consume additional energy during conversion and may need battery replacement, but its draw and service life depend on the equipment and conditions. If you want to include either, measure the relevant wall draw or use the manufacturer’s documentation and treat the estimate separately from the PC figure.
Internet service is also a separate line, and an existing broadband plan may not change in price simply because you stream. What matters operationally is whether its upload capacity and stability suit the chosen stream settings. YouTube recommends matching stream quality to connection reliability, checking upload speed, testing before going live and monitoring stream health. Its official live encoder settings guidance lists recommended H.264 bitrates for specified resolutions and frame rates; those recommendations do not guarantee that a particular home connection can sustain them. If you are preparing the audio loop itself, this guide to adding background music to a silent video loop addresses a different part of the setup, not its electricity cost.
A useful comparison between operating approaches should include more than the energy line. Compare the measured wall draw and local marginal tariff, the total monthly outlay including broadband and backup power, the reliability and recovery process you can manage, and the one-off setup and maintenance burden. A second-hand PC may suit you if you already own it, can measure its draw, and are comfortable looking after it. A different approach may suit you better if you do not want a household computer running continuously; do not infer that one is cheaper without pricing your own complete requirements.
Personalise the estimate before committing
Write down four inputs: the measured average watts for the complete PC, the hours you expect it to run, your marginal electricity rate, and which other costs you intend to include. Then calculate the energy first and the energy charge second. Keeping the inputs visible helps you update the result if you change computers, stream settings, billing slabs or operating hours.
A simple worksheet might read: “PC average at wall: ___ W; hours in month: ; energy: ___ kWh; marginal rate: ₹/kWh; estimated PC energy charge: ₹___.” Keep a second table or note for broadband, monitor and router use, backup power, equipment and maintenance. Do not add every shared household cost at full value automatically; decide what is genuinely incremental because the channel runs.
If you have not bought a machine yet, ask the seller for the exact components and test the unit if possible, but treat that as a purchase check rather than a reliable monthly average. After setting it up, measure under the intended continuous workload and recalculate. A change in output resolution or encoder load may alter energy use, while a change to your utility tariff can alter the rupee estimate without changing the computer at all.
For a channel that needs to stay live while your own computer is off, a cloud-run broadcast can remove the particular burden of keeping and recovering a home PC; StreamNeo turns an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream after you provide the stream key. That does not remove your need to check the source file, connection, channel readiness or the service terms, and it does not make electricity the whole cost comparison. If you are weighing a small low-power device instead, the guide to running a pre-recorded YouTube stream from a Raspberry Pi is relevant to the hardware question. If a desktop workflow is more likely, the comparison of Restreamer and OBS for looping videos can help frame software choices without substituting for a wall measurement.
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
What is the monthly electricity cost of a PC running 24/7 in India?
There is no single India-wide answer because both wall draw and the household’s marginal electricity rate vary. Under the illustrative assumptions of 120–200 W and ₹7–₹8/kWh, PC electricity alone works out to about ₹605–₹1,152 for 30 days. Measure your own machine and use the rate applicable to your connection for a more useful estimate.
How much electricity does a PC use in a month if it runs continuously?
Multiply average watts at the wall by 720 hours for a 30-day month, then divide by 1,000 to get kWh. For example, 120 W gives 86.4 kWh and 200 W gives 144 kWh. Use actual average draw, not the power supply’s capacity label.
Does this estimate include broadband, the monitor or a UPS?
No. The stated range is for the PC’s electricity only. Account separately for broadband, any monitor or router that is genuinely additional, backup-power losses, maintenance and recovery time; some equipment may already be serving your household.
How can I get a more accurate electricity estimate?
Measure the complete computer at the wall while it performs the work you expect it to do during the stream, and use the average draw across representative operation. Multiply its monthly kWh by your connection’s marginal energy rate, checking the applicable bill or official tariff details. Keep other costs separate so the estimate remains clear about what it includes.