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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Laptop in the UK? (2026)
Laptops are among the cheapest devices to run. A thin ultrabook averages about 20 watts, a mainstream 15 inch model around 45 watts, and a gaming laptop can reach 90 watts or more when plugged in.
A typical laptop (45 W) costs £0.012 per hour, or about £2.81 per month at 8 hours a day in United Kingdom. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (20 W) | £0.005 | £0.042 | £1.25 | £15.18 |
| Typical (45 W) | £0.012 | £0.094 | £2.81 | £34.16 |
| High (90 W) | £0.023 | £0.19 | £5.62 | £68.33 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 8 h/day ≈ 131 kWh per year.
In the UK, with electricity at £0.26 per kWh (source: Ofgem price cap 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026, 2026-07), a typical laptop costs £0.012 per hour and about £34.16 per year at 8 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 85.5 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a laptop
- Lower screen brightness. The display is the biggest consumer on most laptops.
- Unplug the charger when the battery is full if the laptop lacks charge limiting.
- Use battery saver or balanced power mode for everyday work.
- Close background apps that keep the CPU busy.
In standby it draws about 1 W, which adds roughly 9 kWh (£2.28) per year if it is never unplugged.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge a laptop?
A 60 Wh battery costs about 0.07 kWh to charge from empty. That is a fraction of a cent in most regions.
Does a laptop use electricity when fully charged and plugged in?
Yes, it runs directly from mains at its normal draw, but it stops charging the battery.
Is a laptop cheaper to run than a desktop?
Almost always. A laptop uses a third or less of the electricity of an equivalent desktop plus monitor.
Compare with
Cost by region
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India