Electronics & Office · Northeast
Cost to run a laptop in New York
At New York’s average residential rate of 28.65¢ per kWh, a laptop drawing 60W for 8 hours a day, at a 70% duty cycle, costs about $2.93 per 30.44 use days. Change the numbers below to match how you actually use yours.
Laptop electricity cost calculator
Use watts and running time, or enter energy from a label, meter or completed load. Your inputs stay on this device.
Enter a number within each field’s limits to calculate your cost.
Your estimated energy cost
123 kWh across 365 use days per year
Power mode includes your selected duty cycle. The monthly figure assumes 30.44 use days; the annual total uses your selected use days. These are estimates at the entered rate.
Energy charges only. Fixed utility fees, purchase, installation and maintenance are excluded. See the calculation method and sources.
Why the cost differs in New York
New York has the 46th cheapest residential electricity of the 50 US states and Washington, DC we track, at 28.65¢ per kWh against a national average of 18.16¢. That is +57.8% compared with the national figure. New York contains the widest intrastate variation in the country. Upstate hydroelectric generation is genuinely cheap, while downstate delivery charges in New York City are among the highest anywhere, so a single state average conceals a large gap. Retail choice is available. Winter heating dominates upstate; dense downstate housing shifts the profile toward cooling.
For this appliance specifically, the difference works out to an extra $12.86 a year over what the same laptop would cost at the national average rate. Run the identical appliance in Hawaii and it would cost $57.86 a year; in Nevada it would cost $15.60. That spread of $42.26 is entirely down to location.
Reducing use by 100 kWh would save $28.65 in energy charges at New York's average rate, compared with $18.16 at the US average. Whether a replacement appliance pays for itself also depends on its purchase price and the energy it actually saves.
Use the energy and delivery price that applies to your own utility plan in New York. If your plan has time-of-use prices, calculate each period separately or use a rate weighted by the electricity used in each period. Fixed monthly fees are outside this appliance energy-cost estimate.
| Location | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York this page | 28.65¢ | $2.93 | $35.14 |
| US average | 18.16¢ | $1.86 | $22.27 |
| Nevada cheapest state | 12.72¢ | $1.30 | $15.60 |
| Hawaii most expensive | 47.18¢ | $4.83 | $57.86 |
New York electricity rate trend
Rates in New York have moved from 27.28¢ to 28.65¢ per kWh between September 2025 and August 2026. The national residential average changed +3.4% from the same month a year earlier.
2025-09 to 2026-08 · cents per kWh
About running a laptop
Laptops are dramatically more efficient than desktops, typically drawing 30 to 100 watts. Leaving one plugged in at full charge draws only trickle current.
How we worked this out
The arithmetic is simple and we would rather show it than hide it. Divide watts by 1,000 to get kilowatts, multiply by hours of use and by the duty cycle to get kilowatt-hours, then multiply by your rate:
60W ÷ 1000 × 8h × 70% = 0.336 kWh/day × 28.65¢ = $0.096 per day
One honest caveat: New York’s figure is a state average published by the EIA. Your own utility’s tariff, any time-of-use pricing, fixed monthly service charges and local taxes all shift the real number. Put your actual per-kWh rate into the calculator above for a figure that reflects your bill.
How to estimate your laptop electricity use
Laptop wall power supplies both computer operation and battery charging. An adapter output rating is a capacity limit; the laptop does not necessarily draw that power throughout the day or throughout a charge.
Battery operation shifts when energy is drawn from the outlet. Compare a complete use-and-recharge period rather than treating unplugged hours as permanently free energy.
- Measure energy over a representative work-and-charge period when possible. Charging and running from a full battery can have different wall draw.
- Use measured wall watts rather than treating a USB-C adapter output rating as constant input. Adapter losses mean output and wall-input energy are different quantities.
- If measuring a USB-C dock that powers the laptop, check which monitors and peripherals it includes. Do not add the laptop again to an upstream measurement that already supplies it.
- For an illustrative 40W average wall draw over eight hours, energy is 0.32 kWh and cost is $0.064 at $0.20/kWh. Use 100% duty for an already averaged measurement.
Calculation and data sources
Daily kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × duty cycle ÷ 100. Multiply kWh by your rate in dollars per kWh to get cost. The wattage, hours and duty cycle above are editable example assumptions, not EIA measurements of this appliance.
The US and state average prices come from the EIA for August 2026. A state average is a starting point; your bill is the better source for your tariff.
Questions about laptop running costs
How much electricity does a laptop use?
In this example, 60 watts at a 70% duty cycle uses 0.042 kWh per scheduled hour. At 8.00 hours per day, that is 0.336 kWh per use day. Your model and operating conditions can differ.
How much does it cost to run a laptop for an hour?
The default example costs $0.012 per scheduled hour at the New York average of 28.65¢/kWh for August 2026. This includes the selected duty cycle. Enter your watts, duty cycle and electricity price for your own estimate.
Does the annual cost assume I use it every day?
The reference tables use 365 days at the stated daily hours; monthly figures use 30.44 days. These are comparison scenarios, not forecasts. For a heater used on 90 days, enter 90 use days per year in the calculator.
Why does electricity running cost vary by state?
For August 2026, the EIA state averages range from 12.72¢/kWh in Nevada to 47.18¢/kWh in Hawaii. Equal electricity use costs more at a higher rate. Your utility tariff can differ from the state average.
Does a 65W laptop charger constantly use 65 watts?
No. The label commonly describes maximum output capacity. Actual input varies with laptop workload, charging state and adapter losses. Use measured wall energy or suitable model data.
Should I use battery capacity to estimate a full charge?
Battery energy in Wh can describe energy stored, but wall energy also depends on charging losses and any use during charging. A measured full recharge is more direct.
How do I count a laptop powered through a dock?
Use either the upstream dock wall measurement or separate component measurements with clear boundaries. Avoid counting the same laptop energy in both.