Cost to run a computer monitor
A computer monitor drawing 14.2 W costs 0.37p for each hour of running at 26.32p/kWh. Used 5 hours a day, every day, that comes to 60.2p a month.
An hour of running costs
0.37p an hour
That is 0.014 kWh. Used as set, it comes to 60.2p a month and £7.23 a year.
On the label or in the manual.
Standby, thermostats and off-peak use
A thermostat switches it on and off to hold a temperature. 100% if it runs flat out.
Drawn while plugged in and not running.
| Period | Cost | Energy | CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|
| An hour of running | 0.37p | 0.014 kWh | 3.1 g |
| A day, on average | 1.98p | 0.075 kWh | 16 g |
| A month | 60.2p | 2.29 kWh | 497 g |
| A year | £7.23 | 27.5 kWh | 6 kg |
How we calculated this
Energy is power multiplied by time: 14.2 W running for an hour uses 0.014 kWh.
Standby is counted for every hour it is plugged in and not running, on days it is used and days it is not.
The figures are for ENERGY STAR certified models sold in the US and Canada. Certified models are more efficient than the average model on sale, and many are larger than the ones sold in Europe, so an older or less efficient one will use more. The power is the average measured while the monitor is on, and the median certified monitor here has a screen of 27 inches; a larger or brighter one draws more. The standby figure is what it draws asleep.
The starting use for a computer monitor, 5 hours a day, every day, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.
Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.
Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.
What drives the cost
A computer monitor draws 14.2 W while it is on in the median certified model, on a screen of 27 inches, and only 0.23 W asleep. At 5 hours a day, every day it costs £7.23 a year at 26.32p/kWh, which is little next to the computer it is connected to.
Also called: monitor, PC monitor, computer screen, display.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For a computer monitor used as typical (5 hours a day, every day), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | 0.37p |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | 0.26¢ |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €0.0057 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 0,0055 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 0,0036 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 0,0038 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 0,0042 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 0,0036 |
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer monitor | 14.2 W | 0.37p | £7.23 |
| Desktop computer | 140 W | 3.68p | £56.87 |
| Laptop | 50 W | 1.32p | £25.11 |
| LED or LCD TV | 79.5 W | 2.09p | £44.06 |
How to spend less on it
- Let the monitor sleep, or switch it off, when you step away: it draws far less asleep, and nothing when it is off at the wall.
- Turn the brightness down to what you need: a dimmer screen draws less.
Questions
How much does a computer monitor cost to run per hour?
At 26.32p/kWh, a computer monitor drawing 14.2 W costs 0.37p for every hour of running at full power.
How much does a computer monitor cost to run a year?
Used 5 hours a day, every day, it costs about £7.23 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or 60.2p a month.
How many watts does a computer monitor use?
Most draw between 10 W and 29 W while running, and 14.2 W is typical. The rating is on the label or in the manual.
Does a monitor use much electricity?
Far less than it used to: the median certified monitor draws 14.2 W on, so an hour costs 0.37p at 26.32p/kWh. Across models most draw between 10 W and 29 W.
Sources
- ENERGY STAR Certified Displays (open data), ENERGY STAR, US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 September 2026. “ENERGY STAR certified computer monitors, on-mode power: median 14.2 W across 1,588 certified models, 10th to 90th percentile 10 W to 29 W (models where display_type='Monitor').”
- ENERGY STAR Certified Displays (open data), ENERGY STAR, US Environmental Protection Agency, 26 September 2026. “The same monitors, sleep-mode power: median 0.23 W across 1,590 certified models, 10th to 90th percentile 0.13 W to 0.601 W (models where display_type='Monitor').”
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