Home server: electricity cost calculator
Quick answer: a typical home server costs about $13/month while in use at the U.S. average electricity price (18.44¢/kWh) — about $162 per year. Your number depends on wattage, runtime and your state — calculate it below.
A repurposed desktop server idles at 60–150 W around the clock; an efficient mini-PC or NUC at 10–30 W. Because it never sleeps, every watt costs about $1.60 per year at the U.S. average price.
2.40 kWh/day used · 73 kWh/month in use · 877 kWh/year at 18.44¢ per kWh
Low, typical and heavy use
Monthly cost while in use, at the U.S. average price of 18.44¢/kWh.
| Scenario | Watts | Hours/day | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light use | 30 W | 14.4 h | $2.42 |
| Typical | 100 W | 24.0 h | $13.47 |
| Heavy use | 300 W | 24.0 h | $40.41 |
Common questions
Old desktop vs mini-PC as a server?
An old 100 W desktop costs roughly $160 per year to leave on; a 15 W mini-PC about $24. The mini-PC often pays for itself in under two years.
Cost in every state
Monthly cost of a typical home server (100 W, 24h/day) at each state's average residential price, May 2026.
| State | Avg price | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 16.77¢ | $12.25 |
| Alaska | 28.23¢ | $20.62 |
| Arizona | 15.23¢ | $11.13 |
| Arkansas | 14.36¢ | $10.49 |
| California | 33.25¢ | $24.29 |
| Colorado | 16.16¢ | $11.80 |
| Connecticut | 27.37¢ | $19.99 |
| Delaware | 19.38¢ | $14.16 |
| District of Columbia | 25.40¢ | $18.55 |
| Florida | 15.17¢ | $11.08 |
| Georgia | 15.84¢ | $11.57 |
| Hawaii | 52.00¢ | $37.99 |
| Idaho | 12.35¢ | $9.02 |
| Illinois | 23.85¢ | $17.42 |
| Indiana | 18.15¢ | $13.26 |
| Iowa | 14.14¢ | $10.33 |
| Kansas | 15.13¢ | $11.05 |
| Kentucky | 14.98¢ | $10.94 |
| Louisiana | 14.15¢ | $10.34 |
| Maine | 28.63¢ | $20.91 |
| Maryland | 21.77¢ | $15.90 |
| Massachusetts | 28.82¢ | $21.05 |
| Michigan | 22.01¢ | $16.08 |
| Minnesota | 16.95¢ | $12.38 |
| Mississippi | 16.16¢ | $11.80 |
| Missouri | 13.68¢ | $9.99 |
| Montana | 14.67¢ | $10.72 |
| Nebraska | 13.59¢ | $9.93 |
| Nevada | 13.60¢ | $9.93 |
| New Hampshire | 27.33¢ | $19.96 |
| New Jersey | 23.27¢ | $17.00 |
| New Mexico | 14.12¢ | $10.31 |
| New York | 29.93¢ | $21.86 |
| North Carolina | 15.09¢ | $11.02 |
| North Dakota | 13.61¢ | $9.94 |
| Ohio | 19.52¢ | $14.26 |
| Oklahoma | 13.38¢ | $9.77 |
| Oregon | 16.27¢ | $11.89 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.55¢ | $15.74 |
| Rhode Island | 29.46¢ | $21.52 |
| South Carolina | 16.18¢ | $11.82 |
| South Dakota | 15.73¢ | $11.49 |
| Tennessee | 14.47¢ | $10.57 |
| Texas | 16.44¢ | $12.01 |
| Utah | 12.96¢ | $9.47 |
| Vermont | 24.89¢ | $18.18 |
| Virginia | 17.61¢ | $12.86 |
| Washington | 14.95¢ | $10.92 |
| West Virginia | 16.80¢ | $12.27 |
| Wisconsin | 19.74¢ | $14.42 |
| Wyoming | 14.80¢ | $10.81 |
Related calculators
Gaming PC A serious rig under load is a real appliance.
~450 W · 4h/day →
Television Modern TVs are cheap to run — size and brightness matter.
~100 W · 5h/day →
NAS (network storage) Each spinning drive adds 5–8 watts, all day long.
~40 W · 24h/day →
Wi-Fi router & modem Always on, but mercifully small.
~15 W · 24h/day →
Security camera system The NVR usually draws more than the cameras.
~30 W · 24h/day →
Standby (vampire) power The load that never turns off — typically 5–10% of a bill.
~75 W · 24h/day →
Methodology & sources
Cost = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × price per kWh. Electricity prices are average residential prices by state from the EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (May 2026). EIA averages include delivery charges and taxes but are not any specific utility tariff — for an exact figure, use the rate from your own bill. Wattage presets reflect common product ranges; check your appliance's nameplate or a plug-in power meter for its true draw.
Last verified: July 30, 2026. Prices refresh automatically each month when EIA publishes new data.