At the 2025 U.S. average residential electricity price of 17.30¢/kWh, a PC drawing an assumed 50–150 watts continuously would use about 36–108 kWh in a 30-day month, costing approximately $6.23–$18.68. Those are illustrative calculations, not measurements of a particular low-end PC. Your actual cost depends on average power draw at the wall, operating hours, and the electricity rate on your bill.
Estimate the electricity cost
Use this formula for the equipment you want to include:
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Cost = (average watts ÷ 1,000) × operating hours × price per kWh
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For a continuous 30-day stream, the assumed run time is 720 hours (24 hours × 30 days). The table applies the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2025 annual average residential rate of 17.30¢/kWh. The wattages are examples, not measured PC draws.
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| Assumed average PC draw | Energy in 30 days | Illustrative cost at 17.30¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 50 W | 36 kWh | $6.23 |
| 100 W | 72 kWh | $12.46 |
| 150 W | 108 kWh | $18.68 |
The EIA’s 17.30¢ figure is a U.S. national residential average for 2025, not a rate that applies to every household. In its 2025 figures for all customer types, reported state prices ranged from 8.20¢/kWh in North Dakota to 35.72¢/kWh in Hawaii; that range is not residential-only. Check your own bill for the rate that best represents your use. Fixed charges and time-of-use pricing can make a simple per-kWh estimate less exact. The EIA explains electricity prices and factors affecting them.
Measure your PC instead of guessing
A power supply’s advertised wattage is its capacity rating, not the amount the computer continuously draws from the wall. The PC’s actual draw depends on its components and what they are doing. To make the estimate useful for your setup:
- Use a plug-in electricity usage monitor suitable for your outlet and region, and connect the PC through it.
- Run the stream configuration you intend to use, including the video loop and OBS scene, long enough to represent ordinary operation.
- Record average wall power in watts, or note the energy consumed in kWh over a known number of hours.
- Apply the formula using your bill’s applicable price per kWh and the number of hours you plan to run.
If a display, router, or other device stays on specifically for the stream, measure or estimate each one separately and add its consumption. State whether your total covers only the PC or the entire setup. A plug-in meter is a practical way to measure; it is not a guarantee that every device or tariff will be represented perfectly.
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What 1080p settings mean for the stream
Resolution alone does not determine electricity use or prove that a particular computer can stream reliably. YouTube’s current H.264 live-encoder guidance recommends 5–14 Mbps for 1080p at 30 fps and 6–17 Mbps for 1080p at 60 fps. It specifies constant bitrate (CBR) and recommends a two-second keyframe interval, not over four seconds. YouTube also stresses a stable upload connection and recommends testing before going live. See YouTube’s live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
These are YouTube encoder recommendations, not a claim that a low-end PC can encode either mode successfully. OBS Project notes, “Having a compatible system does not guarantee that it is capable of streaming or recording using OBS Studio.” Its documentation says CPU needs vary with the encoder, resolution, frame rate, and scene complexity. A static loop may demand less than a complex scene, but actual workload and wall draw depend on the specific machine and configuration.
Choose settings a low-end PC can sustain
Start with 1080p30 if 60 fps is unstable
Build a short test at the intended resolution and frame rate before relying on an unattended stream. If 1080p60 does not work reliably, try 1080p30; OBS’s performance guidance also recommends reducing output resolution when necessary. Lowering resolution or frame rate can reduce the work required, but check the resulting stream rather than assuming a setting change has fixed every problem. See OBS encoding performance troubleshooting.
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Consider hardware encoding where supported
OBS generally recommends hardware encoding to move encoding work from the CPU to a dedicated component in a GPU, which can reduce performance impact. Support depends on the particular hardware and drivers. OBS cautions that earlier-generation hardware encoders may produce lower image quality at the same bitrate than software encoding at its default veryfast preset. Compare the available encoder options on your actual system, then test the stream. Details are in OBS’s hardware encoding guidance.
Check the whole setup during a test
Before leaving the stream running unattended, check YouTube’s stream health and OBS’s dropped-frame and encoding indicators. Also watch system temperatures and confirm that the loop restarts as intended. YouTube specifically recommends testing and monitoring stream health; the other checks are practical precautions, not guarantees of continuous operation. OBS’s documented system requirements likewise warn that compatibility alone does not guarantee streaming performance: OBS Studio system requirements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Other costs and trade-offs
The electricity estimate covers energy use only. It does not include any additional equipment or service costs. If your stream requires a screen or network equipment to remain on, include their power draw in the calculation. A 24/7 PC setup also depends on that computer and its internet connection remaining available; the cost table does not measure performance, reliability, or whether the machine can maintain the chosen stream settings.
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With StreamNeo, upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. StreamNeo loops uploaded videos from the cloud, so your computer and home connection do not have to stay on. It is for YouTube streams, not camera broadcasts or other platforms.
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