How much electricity do a games console and a PC use?
Console 12 kWh/yr, desktop 60 kWh, laptop 13 kWh (ADEME medians). Work out yearly cost at UK, US or EU tariffs.
- Electricity per year
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- Per month
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- Per hour of use
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- Of which standby
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Measured benchmarks (yearly cost at your tariff)
- Games console (12 kWh)
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- Desktop PC (60 kWh)
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- Laptop (13 kWh)
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Defaults: median annual use metered by ADEME (Panel Elecdom, July 2023 – July 2024) — games console 12 kWh (15 units), desktop PC 60 kWh (29), laptop 13 kWh (61). Spreads are wide: middle half for consoles 2–40 kWh, desktops 15–176 kWh. Watts mode: kWh/yr = (on W × hours + standby W × remaining hours) × 365 ÷ 1000. Results are indicative estimates based on the values you enter. Always check your appliance labels, your tariff and the manufacturer’s data.
- In ADEME’s metering of 100 homes, a games console used a median 12 kWh a year (15 units) — about £3.16 at the UK price cap or $2.20 at the US average.
- A desktop PC: median 60 kWh (29 units, ≈ £15.79 / $10.99); a laptop: 13 kWh (61 units, ≈ £3.42 / $2.38).
- Desktop mean use (116 kWh) is far above the median: a few power-hungry machines pull the average up.
- A console left in rest mode or a PC left on 24/7 can cost far more than the median — use the watts mode to model it.
Pick your device (console, desktop or laptop) or enter measured wattage and daily hours. The calculator returns the yearly cost at your tariff and compares it with medians metered in real homes.
What homes actually use (ADEME)
France’s energy agency ADEME metered appliances in 100 representative homes for a full year (July 2023 – July 2024):
| Device | Units metered | Median | Middle half | Mean | Median cost, UK cap | Median cost, US average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games console | 15 | 12 kWh/yr | 2–40 kWh | 25 kWh | ≈ £3.16 | ≈ $2.20 |
| Desktop PC | 29 | 60 kWh/yr | 15–176 kWh | 116 kWh | ≈ £15.79 | ≈ $10.99 |
| Laptop | 61 | 13 kWh/yr | 7–27 kWh | 25 kWh | ≈ £3.42 | ≈ $2.38 |
So the median console uses less than a kettle (32 kWh) or a router (76 kWh). A gaming desktop or a console used for several hours a day and rarely powered off sits toward the top of the range — which is why the desktop mean (116 kWh) is almost twice the median.
Why the spreads are so wide
Three things dominate:
- Hours of use — 1 h versus 6 h a day changes everything.
- Load power — a modern console in-game often draws 70–200 W; a gaming PC more; a light laptop often 15–45 W.
- Rest / idle mode — a console in rest mode or a PC that never sleeps still draws watts around the clock. At 15 W continuous, that is about 131 kWh a year (≈ £34 at the UK cap, ≈ $24 at the US average).
The calculator’s watts mode combines on-mode power, daily hours and standby/idle watts for your case.
Living-room stack: console + TV + router
Adding ADEME medians for the main TV (128 kWh), set-top box (30 kWh), router (76 kWh) and a console (12 kWh) puts the media corner at about 246 kWh a year — before any desktop PC.
Five ways to use less
- Fully power off the console and PC when you finish (not just the screen).
- Limit overnight wake-ups for updates where the settings allow it.
- Use sleep/hibernate after a few idle minutes; unplug unused peripherals.
- Put console, set-top box and TV on a switched power strip.
- Measure for a week with a plug meter if you are unsure: ADEME medians are a starting point, not your bill.
To place these devices in whole-home use, see average household electricity usage and the full ADEME appliance table.