How Much Does It Cost to Run a Home Server or NAS in California? (2026)
A network-attached storage box runs 24 hours a day, so even a modest 40 watt draw adds up to 350 kWh a year. Repurposed desktop PCs used as servers can use three times that.
A typical home server or NAS (40 W) costs $0.014 per hour, or about $10.01 per month at 24 hours a day in California. Average running cost
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 15 W | $0.005 | $0.13 | $3.75 | $45.65 |
| Typical 40 W | $0.014 | $0.33 | $10.01 | $121.73 |
| High 150 W | $0.052 | $1.25 | $37.52 | $456.48 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 24 h/day ≈ 350 kWh per year.
One day of a home server or NAS (0.96 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 5.3km in an electric car
- 9.6hours of TV
- 21hours of a laptop
- 107hours of an LED bulb
In California, with electricity at 34.7¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical home server or nas costs $0.014 per hour and about $121.73 per year at 24 hours a day. That is about 89% more than the national average for the US ($5.28 per month), because electricity in California costs 34.7¢ per kWh against 18.3¢ nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 72.0 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a home server or NAS
- Enable disk spin-down for drives that are rarely accessed.
- Choose low-power hardware. A purpose-built NAS uses a fraction of an old desktop.
- Consolidate services onto one box rather than running several.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a NAS 24/7?
At 40 watts, about 29 kWh a month. Pick your region above for the cost.
Does a NAS use a lot of electricity?
Not per hour, but continuous operation makes it one of the larger always-on loads in a home.
Is a Raspberry Pi cheaper to run as a server?
Far cheaper, at 3 to 6 watts, but with much less storage and performance.
Cost by region
US states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Canadian provinces
Related appliances
- Computer Monitor30 W typical
- Printer (Inkjet or Laser)30 W typical
- Phone Charger10 W typical
- Cable or Fiber Modem8 W typical
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz