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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Wi-Fi Router in the UK? (2026)
A router runs 24 hours a day, but at 5 to 20 watts it costs very little. Mesh systems with several nodes and combined modem-router units sit at the higher end.
A typical wi-fi router (10 W) costs £0.003 per hour, or about £1.87 per month at 24 hours a day in United Kingdom. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (5 W) | £0.001 | £0.031 | £0.94 | £11.39 |
| Typical (10 W) | £0.003 | £0.062 | £1.87 | £22.78 |
| High (20 W) | £0.005 | £0.12 | £3.74 | £45.55 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 24 h/day ≈ 88 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 wi-fi router costs £0.003 per hour and about £22.78 per year at 24 hours a day. Each £1.00 of electricity buys roughly 384.6 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a wi-fi router
- Turning the router off at night saves roughly 3 kWh a year. Most people find the hassle not worth it.
- Replace an old modem plus router pair with a single combined unit to halve draw.
- Disable unused radios such as a guest network on a separate band.
- Avoid running more mesh nodes than your home needs.
Frequently asked questions
Should I turn off my Wi-Fi router at night?
Only for the small saving. A 10 watt router costs less than 90 kWh a year even running continuously.
Does a mesh Wi-Fi system use a lot of electricity?
Each node adds 5 to 10 watts, so a three node system is comparable to a light bulb.
Does a router use more power with more devices connected?
Slightly, but the difference is a watt or two at most.
Cost by region
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India