There is no reliable universal answer that Linux or Windows costs less to run for 24/7 YouTube streaming on the same PC. The result depends on the hardware, power settings, drivers, background activity, browser and stream workload. To compare fairly, measure the same computer at the wall under matched playback conditions, then calculate the cost using the electricity rate on your bill.
How to calculate the electricity cost
Watts (W) describe power at a moment; kilowatt-hours (kWh) measure energy used over time. To estimate the electricity cost of a streaming PC:
- Convert average watts to kilowatts by dividing by 1,000.
- Multiply kilowatts by the number of hours: average watts ÷ 1,000 × hours = kWh.
- Multiply the kWh by your electricity rate per kWh: kWh × rate = energy cost.
For a continuous run, use the actual average draw, 24 hours per day, and the number of days in the period. Use the energy rate on your own bill; taxes, fixed charges and other bill components may affect the total bill but are not included in this energy-only calculation.
A historical example—not a current estimate
Microsoft’s 2011 worked example used a specific older PC and an assumed rate of $0.10/kWh. Its system-alone idle reading was 102 W, excluding peripherals. At that draw, 30 days of continuous use would be 73.44 kWh, or $7.34 at the assumed rate. The author noted that a watt meter’s readings varied and were difficult to measure precisely. These figures illustrate the arithmetic; they are not a current-PC estimate, a YouTube playback measurement, or a Linux-versus-Windows comparison.
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Why the operating system alone does not determine the result
Power use depends on the whole system and what it is doing. Microsoft’s Windows 11 idle energy assessment documentation identifies hardware, Windows power management and policy, devices, drivers, services, apps and settings as contributors. It also describes idle consumption as a lower bound: a system doing work consumes more than its idle baseline. This Windows documentation is not a comparison with Linux.
YouTube playback is active work, not an idle test. A 2022 IEEE paper, “Modeling of Energy Consumption and Streaming Video QoE using a Crowdsourcing Dataset”, analyzed 447,000 YouTube streaming events and modeled client-side power and quality. It identifies device, codec, resolution and bitrate as relevant variables. Its scope is the end-user client; it does not report a controlled 24/7 test of the same PC under Linux and Windows.
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A European Commission Joint Research Centre technical report on computer procurement criteria summarizes a separate referenced study in which active consumption for common office activities, including video streaming and browsing, was comparable for most tasks. It notes that high-load activity using powerful CPUs and graphics cards, such as gaming, can raise consumption. This is not a direct operating-system comparison or a guarantee about your PC or stream.
Taken together, these sources do not establish a contemporary, controlled Linux-versus-Windows winner for continuous YouTube playback. Generic claims that Linux is always lighter, or that Windows always draws more, go beyond the evidence.
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How to make a fair Linux-versus-Windows comparison
- Use the same physical setup. Keep the PC, power supply, peripherals and display configuration unchanged. Decide whether the monitor is included in the measurement and apply that choice to both runs.
- Measure at the wall. Use a plug-in electricity usage monitor or watt meter to measure the computer’s wall draw. A software estimate may not capture the full system’s power use. No particular meter model is established here as tested or endorsed.
- Match the playback workload. Use the same video, browser and browser version where possible, resolution, playback quality, network connection and relevant settings. Record codec and quality details when available; different playback conditions can change the work performed.
- Keep power conditions comparable. Use comparable power settings, prevent sleep, and confirm playback continues for the full run. Let startup activity settle and note material updates or scheduled background work. Microsoft’s energy-efficiency disclosure describes a 15-minute wait in a Surface measurement sequence; it is a useful example of allowing a system to settle, not a universal Linux-versus-Windows benchmark rule.
- Record sustained results. Capture average watts and, preferably, cumulative kWh over an extended run rather than relying on a momentary reading. Repeat or extend the measurement if readings vary. Note elapsed time and any uncertainty.
- Calculate each cost from your tariff. Apply the same bill rate and time period to each measured result. State whether the calculation covers the PC alone or includes peripherals, and whether it excludes taxes or fixed charges.
Compare the resulting kWh and energy costs, not just a brief idle reading. If your runs differ, the measurements establish what happened on your setup under those conditions; they do not prove that one operating system uses less power on every PC.
Reduce uncertainty or lower the cost
- Measure the exact streaming setup rather than extrapolating from idle figures or another computer.
- Keep the stream’s resolution and playback conditions fixed between OS runs; codec, resolution and bitrate can affect client-side workload.
- Check for avoidable background work and confirm that power settings do not cause playback or the PC to stop.
- Use your bill’s applicable per-kWh energy rate for the period you want to estimate.
Or let it run in the cloud
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