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There is no universal cost to stream on YouTube with OBS, even with Replay Buffer and other optional features turned off. Calculate it from your setup’s average wall power, stream duration, and electricity rate: cost = watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × price per kWh. For example, a system averaging 300 watts for four hours uses 1.2 kWh; at the U.S. 2025 average residential rate of 17.30 cents/kWh, that illustrative session costs about $0.21. The 300-watt figure is an arithmetic example, not a measured or typical streaming PC result.
How to calculate the electricity cost of an OBS stream
Use this formula:
Cost = average power at the wall (W) × stream hours ÷ 1,000 × electricity price per kWh
Dividing watts by 1,000 converts the power figure to kilowatts; multiplying by hours gives kilowatt-hours (kWh). Multiply that energy use by your electricity rate to estimate the cost.
Worked example
A system averaging 300 W for a four-hour stream uses 300 × 4 ÷ 1,000 = 1.2 kWh. At 17.30 cents per kWh, the 2025 U.S. average residential electricity price reported by the [U.S. Energy Information Administration](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/), the cost is 1.2 × $0.173 = about $0.21. This example illustrates the arithmetic; it does not establish that a streaming setup uses 300 W.
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Estimate your own session
- Measure the average power draw in watts during a representative stream, ideally at the wall.
- Multiply that average by the stream’s duration in hours, then divide by 1,000 to get kWh.
- Multiply the kWh by the rate that best reflects the added electricity use on your bill.
If you want a per-hour estimate, use one hour in the formula. For a monthly estimate, multiply the cost of a representative session by the number of comparable sessions; this assumes the same power draw, stream length, and electricity rate.
What should you include in the power measurement?
The measurement boundary matters. A wall reading for the complete setup includes the equipment drawing power through that outlet during the measured stream. If you measure only the PC, label the result PC-only. Add a monitor, capture gear, lights, audio equipment, or network equipment only if they are included in the wall measurement or measured separately.
Use average power over a representative session—not the power supply’s rated capacity or a component’s advertised maximum. A live stream’s workload can change, so measure a session that resembles your usual use.
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Does turning off OBS Replay Buffer or recording lower the bill?
Replay Buffer is an optional capture feature listed among OBS’s recording controls in the [OBS Studio Overview Guide](https://obsproject.com/kb/obs-studio-overview). Disabling it may change power use on a particular setup, but OBS guidance does not establish a universal wattage or percentage saved. The effect depends on the system and configuration.
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The same caution applies to turning off recording outputs: it simplifies a comparison, but does not imply a known reduction in watts. To find the difference on your own PC, compare average wall power during otherwise matched streams with the feature on and off.
Make a fair comparison
- Keep the stream duration and game or scene workload as similar as possible.
- Keep resolution, frame rate, codec, and encoder configuration constant.
- Use the same devices in the measurement boundary and the same electricity rate.
- Compare average wall watts, rather than relying on a single peak reading or a software estimate.
OBS notes that streaming requirements vary with encoder, resolution, frame rate, and scene complexity in its [system requirements](https://obsproject.com/kb/system-requirements) and [encoding performance troubleshooting guide](https://obsproject.com/kb/encoding-performance-troubleshooting). Those factors affect the workload, but the cited guidance does not provide a direct electricity-use statistic for OBS streaming.
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Does hardware encoding always use less electricity?
No. OBS explains that hardware encoding shifts encoding work from the CPU to a specialized component of the GPU in its [Hardware Encoding guide](https://obsproject.com/kb/hardware-encoding). That describes where the work happens; it does not prove that total system power falls. Measure the whole setup under matched conditions if electricity cost is the question.
Do YouTube bitrate and video settings determine the electricity cost?
Bitrate recommendations are for stream quality and reliable ingestion, not a direct estimate of electricity use. YouTube’s [encoder settings guidance](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2853702) supports RTMP/RTMPS and H.264, H.265/HEVC, or AV1, with CBR, up to 60 fps, and a recommended two-second keyframe interval (maximum four seconds). Its recommended bitrate depends on codec, resolution, and frame rate. For example, its table lists H.264 at 8 Mbps for 720p60 and 17 Mbps for 1080p60; AV1/H.265 recommendations for those formats are 6 Mbps and 12 Mbps respectively. Check the table for the codec and format you actually use.
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Which electricity rate should you use?
Your bill or utility tariff is more useful for a personal estimate than a national average. Rates differ by location, customer type, and billing structure; fixed charges, taxes, and time-of-use periods may also affect what an additional kWh costs. Choose a marginal or effective rate that reasonably matches the added consumption and state that assumption.
For context, the [EIA’s 2025 electricity price data](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/) reports U.S. averages of 17.30 cents/kWh for residential customers, 13.41 cents/kWh for commercial customers, 8.62 cents/kWh for industrial customers, and 13.63 cents/kWh across all sectors. These are broad 2025 averages, not an individual’s tariff. Across all utility customer types, the reported 2025 state range was 8.20 cents/kWh in North Dakota to 35.72 cents/kWh in Hawaii; this is not a residential-only comparison. The [EIA’s Electric Power Monthly Table 5.3](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/) provides the annual customer-sector rates.
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Common questions about estimating stream power
Can I calculate the cost from my PC’s power supply rating?
No. The rating is not a measurement of average power drawn during your stream. Use a representative wall-power average for an estimate.
Is a software power reading enough?
It can help compare components or sessions, but a reading for the PC alone does not include other equipment. A wall measurement of the complete setup is the clearer basis for total setup cost.
Is there a published universal OBS streaming wattage?
The OBS and YouTube guidance cited here does not give a universal wattage or a measured electricity saving for disabling Replay Buffer. Your hardware, settings, workload, and measurement boundary determine the useful estimate.
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