Cost to run a games console
A games console drawing 120 W costs 3.16p for each hour of running at 26.32p/kWh. Used 2 hours a day, every day, that comes to £1.92 a month.
An hour of running costs
3.16p an hour
That is 0.12 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £1.92 a month and £23.06 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 | 3.16p | 0.12 kWh | 26 g |
| A day, on average | 6.32p | 0.24 kWh | 52 g |
| A month | £1.92 | 7.30 kWh | 1.6 kg |
| A year | £23.06 | 87.6 kWh | 19 kg |
How we calculated this
Energy is power multiplied by time: 120 W running for an hour uses 0.12 kWh.
This is the average rating Centre for Sustainable Energy gives for a games console in general. Consoles vary a great deal by model and by what is running, so use the figure in your console’s manual if you have it.
The starting use for a games console, 2 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 games console draws 120 W while it is running, and the television it is plugged into draws its own on top. At 2 hours a day, every day, a games console costs £23.06 a year for the console alone.
Also called: console, video game console, gaming console.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For a games console used as typical (2 hours a day, every day), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | 3.16p |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | 2.18¢ |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €0.049 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 0,046 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 0,031 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 0,032 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 0,036 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 0,031 |
Compared with similar appliances
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games console | 120 W | 3.16p | £23.06 |
| LED or LCD TV | 79.5 W | 2.09p | £44.06 |
| Desktop computer | 140 W | 3.68p | £56.87 |
How to spend less on it
- Switch it fully off, not to rest mode, if you will not play for a while: rest mode still draws power to keep the console ready.
- Remember the television: a game played on a big screen costs the console’s draw plus the screen’s.
Questions
How much does a games console cost to run per hour?
At 26.32p/kWh, a games console drawing 120 W costs 3.16p for every hour of running at full power.
How much does a games console cost to run a year?
Used 2 hours a day, every day, it costs about £23.06 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £1.92 a month.
Does a games console use more electricity than a television?
The average ratings here put a console at 120 W, about the same as a flat-screen television. Playing a game uses both at once, so the two costs add together.
Sources
- How much electricity am I using?, Centre for Sustainable Energy, July 2026. “Games console (120 W)”
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