Computer monitor Electricity Cost & Wattage
What a computer monitor costs to run: typical 30 W, about $11 a year. Adjust the figures to your own usage and electricity price.
Your Computer monitor running cost
Costs about
/ month
- Per day
- Per year
- Energy per day
Change the hours and price to match your case.
Typical wattage
| Low | 15 W |
|---|---|
| Typical | 30 W |
| High | 60 W |
| Typical use | 6 h/day |
A computer monitor is a modest but constant part of a home-office bill, since it is on for as long as you work. Power draw depends mainly on screen size and brightness: a small office monitor might use 15 to 25 watts, a typical 24- to 27-inch model around 30 watts, and a large or high-brightness display 50 watts or more. Like a television, the backlight is the biggest single factor, so brightness settings have a real effect on the running cost.
Because a monitor runs alongside a computer for hours a day, small savings repeat often enough to matter. Lowering brightness from the shop-default maximum to a comfortable level cuts power with no downside indoors, and letting the monitor sleep when you step away removes the draw entirely during breaks. Enter your monitor's wattage — check the label or specification — and your typical daily hours to see the yearly cost, and pair it with the desktop PC or laptop figure for your full workstation.
If you run a multi-monitor setup, remember that each screen adds its own draw, so a second or third display multiplies this figure. For a full workstation, add the monitor cost to your computer cost to see the true total — the screen is easy to overlook, yet it is on for exactly as many hours as the machine driving it.
Panel type changes this more than most people expect. A backlit LED/LCD monitor draws roughly the same power regardless of what's on screen, since the backlight stays lit either way. An OLED display lights each pixel individually, so it draws noticeably less on darker content and more on bright white pages — meaning the same OLED monitor's real running cost depends partly on what you use it for, not just its rated wattage.
How to cut computer monitor running costs
- Lower the brightness from the factory maximum — the backlight is the main power user.
- Set the monitor to sleep after a few minutes idle so breaks cost nothing.
- Switch it off at the end of the day rather than leaving it in standby overnight.
- Dark mode and a lower brightness together noticeably cut an OLED screen's draw.
- One efficient monitor beats two power-hungry ones if you don't need the extra screen.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a monitor cost to run?
A 30 W monitor used six hours a day uses about 66 kWh a year — roughly $11 at $0.17/kWh. Larger, brighter displays cost more; small office monitors less.
Does monitor brightness affect the cost?
Yes. The backlight is the main draw, so lowering brightness from the maximum can cut a monitor's power use noticeably, usually with no downside in a normally lit room.
Do two monitors double the cost?
Roughly, yes — each draws its own power. If you rarely use the second screen, turning it off when not needed is an easy saving over a working year.