How to Calculate the Power Consumption by a Computer

Calculate the power consumption of your computer.

Finding out how much power your computer consumes can help you calculate your total power bill and give you an idea of how much your computer costs to run. Fortunately, the method of figuring this out is relatively straightforward, but will require that you do some research on each component of your computer to come up with an accurate estimate.

Instructions

1. Find out how many watts each component in your computer uses. Depending on the age of your components and who manufactured them, you can find this information stamped on the computer's power supply unit (PSU). If this information is not located on the PSU, you will need to contact the manufacturer of the computer to find out.

2. Calculate how much power your computer consumes in a year by multiplying the total wattage of your computer by the number of hours you use it each year (find this value by multiplying the number of hours you use it per day, such as 8, times 365). This value is the total number of watts your computer consumes in a year.

3. Calculate the cost of this usage by dividing this number by 1000 and then multiplying it by the cost per kilowatt-hour of your electricity, which can be found out from your electricity company.

References

• Mr. Electricity: How Much Electricity Do Computers Use?