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bucolic_frolic

(46,995 posts)
Tue Apr 9, 2024, 03:26 PM Apr 2024

How much are you spending on electric for your computers?

You think it's not much. My old laptop is 65W. Recently I bought a new low end PC because it has the features I like (anti-glare screen) and four Celeron threads instead of two Core 2 Duo. The new one is pristine used, about .5 years old (though you can still buy them new) and was about $60.

so if my new laptop is 45W and the old one was 65W, and it runs 15 hours per day 325 days per year (pretty accurate), and a kilowatt costs me 18 cents (aggregate cost of generation and distribution and overhead), how much money does my new laptop save?

I did the calculations, and it didn't sound right, but AI came up with the same number:

Difference in power consumption: 65W−45W=20W
Operating hours per year: 15 hours/day×325 days/year=4875 hours/year
Power saving per year: 20W×4875 hours/year=97500 watt-hours/year
Convert watt-hours to kilowatt-hours: 97500 watt-hours/year=97.5 kilowatt-hours/year
Cost of electricity per year: 97.5 kilowatt-hours/year×$0.18/kWh=$17.55/year

So in a little over 3 years, the new low wattage computer will pay for itself.

Addendum:
It might even save more. The old one runs hot in warm weather, and it has a fan that runs all the time. The new one has a 6W CPU and there is no fan. I was just pulling the 45W and 65W off the power supply ratings. And the old one spins a hard drive, the new one static storage.

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How much are you spending on electric for your computers? (Original Post) bucolic_frolic Apr 2024 OP
No idea. Elessar Zappa Apr 2024 #1
I have been crossing fingers for quite some time that mine hangs in there because most laptops hlthe2b Apr 2024 #2

Elessar Zappa

(15,896 posts)
1. No idea.
Tue Apr 9, 2024, 03:32 PM
Apr 2024

I don’t have a laptop or desktop but I use my IPad Pro as my computer. I use it maybe 5 hours a day but I don’t have any idea how much electricity it uses. I can’t imagine it’s very much though.

hlthe2b

(106,359 posts)
2. I have been crossing fingers for quite some time that mine hangs in there because most laptops
Tue Apr 9, 2024, 03:37 PM
Apr 2024

that are sufficient to my needs START at $600 or more and go up from there--even on sale or refurbished. So, any savings I might get would never get close to paying for it (and I have bought refurbished in the past).

But, I congratulate you. It does seem as though they would result in more savings, but everything helps.

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