There is no single monthly electricity cost for a used desktop in India. The added energy charge depends on the combined power draw of the desktop and monitor, how many hours you use them, and the marginal rate on your local electricity bill. Measure the setup if possible; otherwise, use a clearly labeled wattage assumption in the calculation below.
Calculate the desktop’s monthly electricity use
Use this formula for a 30-day month:
Monthly units (kWh) = combined average power (W) × hours per day × 30 ÷ 1,000
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In electricity bills, one kilowatt-hour (kWh) is usually called one unit. Include the monitor if it is on while you watch YouTube. A desktop’s power-supply rating is its capacity, not what the computer continuously draws.
Worked example: 80 W for eight hours a day
Assume—not as a measured typical value—that a desktop and monitor together average 80 W while in use for eight hours daily:
#1 Best Overall
- This Certified Refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The Refurbishing Process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, a minimum 90-day warranty, and may arrive in a generic box. Only select sellers who maintain a high-performance bar may offer Certified Refurbished products on Amazon.com.
- HP 600G1 Intel I5 Quad-Core 3.2 GHz Processor.
- What's Inside: 8GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, DVD Optical Drive.
- Includes: USB Keyboard and Mouse, Microsoft office 30 days free trail.
- Operating System: Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit-Multi-Language Supports English/Spanish/French.
80 W × 8 hours × 30 ÷ 1,000 = 19.2 kWh in a 30-day month.
The 80 W figure is an example assumption, not a benchmark for used PCs. Your actual draw can vary with the components, monitor, workload, video resolution and power settings.
Estimate the added charge on your Indian electricity bill
Multiply the calculated units by the applicable energy rate, splitting the units across slabs if the additional consumption crosses a slab boundary. The estimate is an added energy charge, not a prediction of the full bill: fixed or load-based charges, electricity duty, fuel or power adjustments, and subsidies can affect the amount due.
Rank #2
- [INTEL POWERED CONTENT] - Built with a 8th Generation Hexa-Core Intel i5 and 32GB of DDR4 RAM; Modern, Windows 11 ready, with 4K support, Executive multitasking, media streaming and smooth, multi-tab web browsing; Perfect as an all-purpose multimedia computer; built for content creators; Plenty of RAM and Mass storage for photo and video editing powered by Intel HD 630
- [LATEST WIRELESS TECH] - This Dell Desktop Computer easily connects to the internet through the Built In WiFi / Bluetooth
- [SOLID STATE STORAGE] - This Dell Computer setup comes with an ultra-fast 1TB Solid State Drive (SSD); Setup as the primary boot device; Boot and load programs with lightning speed ; Additional expansion available
- [BUY & OWN WITH CONFIDENCE] - From the world's largest Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher; Quality Guarantee and Free Tech Support; Award-winning Customer Service; | Support Sustainable Business
- [MODERN HI-SPEED PORTS] - USB 3.0 (x4) | USB 2.0 (x4) | DisplayPort (x1) | HDMI Port (x1) | Audio Combo Jack (x1) | Audio Out (x1) | RJ-45 Ethernet (x1) | Internal SATA (x3)
The Ministry of Power states: “Electricity tariffs in India are determined by the Appropriate Electricity Regulatory Commissions under the Electricity Act, 2003.” Its release dated 10 August 2026 also says state governments may subsidize consumer classes, including domestic consumers. Your state or union territory, DISCOM, consumer category, billing slab and applicable tariff period therefore matter.
One local example: Lakshadweep’s FY 2026–27 schedule
The Lakshadweep Department of Electricity displays these domestic LTDS-II energy rates for FY 2026–27:
| Consumption slab | Energy rate |
|---|---|
| 0–100 units | ₹3.55/kWh |
| 101–200 units | ₹5.30/kWh |
| 201–300 units | ₹7.70/kWh |
| 301–400 units | ₹10.05/kWh |
| Above 400 units | ₹13.05/kWh |
If the example’s 19.2 units all fall within the first slab, they add ₹68.16 in energy charges (19.2 × ₹3.55). The schedule also lists a fixed charge of ₹25 per kW per month or part thereof. This is one local tariff example, not an India-wide rate, and the fixed charge should not be attributed solely to the desktop.
Rank #3
- Model: Dell OptiPlex 7050 Small Form Factor (SFF)
- Processor: Intel Core i7-7700 3.60 GHz
- Memory: 32GB DDR4 Ram
- Storage: 1TB Solid State Drive (SSD) Fast Boot + Storage
- Operating System: Windows 11 Pro (64-bit)
Find your actual watts instead of guessing
The most useful figure is the average draw of the complete setup at the wall during representative viewing sessions. A plug-in electricity usage monitor can measure it. Record the desktop and monitor together while YouTube is playing under the conditions you normally use; if the load varies, use a representative average rather than a momentary peak. Then insert that wattage and your daily hours into the formula.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →A 2026 secondary article reports a 10.6 W median idle draw across 298 ENERGY STAR-certified desktops, based on 2026 ENERGY STAR data. That figure excludes the monitor and describes idle consumption; it does not establish YouTube playback draw or typical consumption for used computers in India, so it is not a suitable streaming estimate.
See how usage hours change the estimate
At the same average watts and tariff, energy use changes in direct proportion to hours. For the example 80 W setup, these schedules would use:
Rank #4
- Dell OptiPlex 3040 Small Form Factor Desktop PC, Intel Core i3-6100 up to 3.7GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, WIFI
- Ports: 8 External USB: 4 x 3.0 (2 front/2 rear) and 4 x 2.0 (2 front/2 rear); 1 RJ-45; 1 Serial (optional); 1 Display Port 1.2; 1 HDMI 1.4; 2 PS/2 (optional); 1 UAJ, 1 Line-out; 1 VGA (optional)
- Included in the box: Computer; Power Cord; USB Keyboard; USB Mouse; WiFi Adaptor
- Operating System: Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit – Multi-language supports English/Spanish/French.
- Support 4K (3840x2160) display, high quality image quality gives you the best visual enjoyment.
| Daily use | Monthly energy (30 days) |
|---|---|
| 4 hours | 9.6 kWh |
| 8 hours | 19.2 kWh |
| 12 hours | 28.8 kWh |
| 24 hours | 57.6 kWh |
These are calculated scenarios using the same assumed 80 W combined draw, not measured desktop results. To price any row, apply your local marginal rate and account for slab boundaries.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check the correct tariff for your home
- Identify the consumer category and DISCOM shown on your bill.
- Check the energy-rate slabs and tariff period that apply to that category. A maintained India Residential Electricity Tariff Database page, updated 1 October 2026, tracks state, DISCOM, tariff year, consumer category, slab rates, fixed charges, duty, adjustments, subsidies, effective dates and source orders.
- Use the database to locate the relevant tariff order, then verify the rate against your bill and the regulator or DISCOM source. The official tariff order is the legal source.
- Apply the applicable marginal slab rate to the added units, splitting them across slabs if necessary. Treat any result as an energy-charge estimate rather than the final bill total.
Or let it run in the cloud
If you mean keeping a YouTube channel live around the clock by looping uploaded videos—not watching YouTube on a desktop—StreamNeo is a different option. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live; the cloud loops the uploaded video, so your computer and home connection do not have to stay on. It streams to YouTube, not from a camera.
Recommended Free Tools
- Nothing has to stay powered on at home for the stream to keep running.
- Uploaded video streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot; there are no quality tiers or re-encoding.
- StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream.
- The first day is free with no card required (one free day per account).
Monthly: $9.99 per month. Start your free day with StreamNeo.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
