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Estimate the cost by multiplying average power in kilowatts by the hours your stream runs, then by your electricity price per kilowatt-hour: cost = (average watts ÷ 1,000) × hours × price per kWh. Use GPU watts if you want a GPU-only estimate; use average wall-side watts if you want to estimate the electricity cost of the whole streaming PC.
How to calculate the cost of running a GPU 24/7
First convert watts to kilowatts by dividing by 1,000. Multiply that figure by the run time in hours to get kilowatt-hours (kWh), then multiply the kWh by your applicable electricity rate.
Cost = (average watts ÷ 1,000) × hours × electricity price per kWh
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For continuous operation, use 720 hours for a 30-day month or 8,760 hours for a 365-day year. Use actual hours for a shorter period, a leap year, or a stream that is not always on. Check whether your rate includes delivery and other per-kWh charges; an energy-only rate may understate the bill impact.
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Example: a hypothetical 100 W load
A hypothetical 100 W load running for 30 days uses (100 ÷ 1,000) × 720 = 72 kWh. At $0.173 per kWh, the arithmetic gives 72 × $0.173 = $12.46 for 30 days. This is an illustrative calculation, not a measurement of an NVIDIA GPU streaming on YouTube. It excludes the rest of the PC unless 100 W is a wall-side reading for the whole system.
As a shortcut, a continuous average load of 1 W uses 0.72 kWh in 30 days and 8.76 kWh in 365 days. Multiply either amount by your own rate to estimate the per-watt energy cost.
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Decide whether you mean GPU-only or whole-PC electricity
GPU telemetry can help estimate the graphics card’s contribution, but it does not represent the entire computer’s wall draw. The CPU, memory, motherboard, storage, fans, power-supply losses, display, and other equipment can add to the amount drawn from the outlet.
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- For a GPU-only estimate: use representative average GPU watts while the stream is running, and label the result GPU-only.
- For the PC’s electricity cost: use the average wall-side draw of the complete setup. A plug-in electricity usage monitor can measure the combined load at the outlet over a representative stream; it will not isolate the GPU.
- For additional equipment: include devices only if they are part of the load you want to cost. A monitor, lighting, or separate encoder can change the whole-setup result.
The measurement period should resemble normal streaming. A brief peak reading is not an average, and a PC that is sometimes idle or shut down should be costed for its actual operating hours.
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Choose a realistic NVIDIA GPU wattage
A card’s Total Graphics Power (TGP) is not a promise that it continuously draws that many watts. NVIDIA describes TGP as the GPU Boost power cap: in high-power applications such as games, the GPU may reach the cap, while light workloads or CPU bottlenecks can use substantially less. See NVIDIA’s explanation of TGP and workload power.
For example, NVIDIA’s RTX 4080 discussion gives 320 W TGP, 13 W idle, 21 W video playback, and 251 W average gaming. Those figures describe different states; the 21 W playback figure is not a YouTube live-encoding measurement and should not be presented as a streaming estimate.
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Use measurements or specifications appropriately
- Best input for a likely bill: average watts observed during a representative stream, with the stream settings and encoder you actually use.
- If you have only TGP: you can use it as a conservative proxy or upper-cap scenario, but clearly say it is not measured average streaming draw.
- Check the exact card: NVIDIA’s GeForce specifications comparison lists reference-design TGP and required system power information. Partner add-in-card specifications can vary, and minimum system-power recommendations depend on the configuration.
- Do not use the PSU recommendation as consumption: it describes a suitable power supply, not how much electricity the PC continuously uses.
GPU power varies with utilization, video settings, encoder, scene, concurrent graphics work, and machine state. No directly applicable published measurement establishes a GeForce card’s average watts while continuously encoding a YouTube livestream, so a specific GPU’s streaming cost needs an appropriate measurement or a clearly qualified estimate.
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Your current bill or tariff is the most relevant input. Rates differ by location and customer class, and the figures below are reference points rather than predictions for a particular household or stream.
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| 2025 U.S. average rate | Price per kWh | Hypothetical 100 W load for 30 days | Hypothetical 100 W load for 365 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 17.30¢ ($0.173) | $12.46 | $151.55 |
| Commercial | 13.41¢ ($0.1341) | $9.66 | $117.47 |
| Industrial | 8.62¢ ($0.0862) | Not calculated | Not calculated |
| All customer types combined | 13.63¢ ($0.1363) | Not calculated | Not calculated |
These U.S. rates are 2025 averages based on preliminary Electric Power Monthly data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in February 2026. The residential and commercial cost examples are arithmetic for a hypothetical constant 100 W load, not forecasts for a specific GPU or region. EIA reported a 2025 state range, for all customer types, from 8.20¢/kWh in North Dakota to 35.72¢/kWh in Hawaii. See the EIA explanation of electricity prices and factors affecting them for the cited averages and tables. For newer U.S. monthly and state comparisons, consult the EIA Electric Power Monthly; the rate on your own current bill remains the better input for an individual estimate.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Compare two streaming setups fairly
To compare GPUs or streaming configurations, use average watts measured or estimated under the same workload, stream settings, encoder, operating hours, and electricity rate. Only then compare monthly or annual costs. A lower GPU-only estimate does not necessarily mean the whole PC is cheaper to run if the rest of the systems differ.
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