How Much Does It Cost to Run a Wi-Fi Router in North Carolina? (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 $0.001 per hour, or about $1.06 per month at 24 hours a day in North Carolina. Cheap to run

Electricity price region

Hours used per day

Wattage	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
Low 5 W	$0.001	$0.018	$0.53	$6.46
Typical 10 W	$0.001	$0.035	$1.06	$12.91
High 20 W	$0.003	$0.071	$2.12	$25.82

Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 24 h/day ≈ 88 kWh per year.

One day of a Wi-Fi router (0.24 kWh) is the same electricity as

2.4kettle boils
4.8hours of a fridge
5.3hours of a laptop
27hours of an LED bulb

Electricity per year at typical use, on a log scale: #29 of 95 appliances, from least to most.

In North Carolina, with electricity at 14.7¢ per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical wi-fi router costs $0.001 per hour and about $12.91 per year at 24 hours a day. That is about 20% less than the national average for the US ($1.32 per month), because electricity in North Carolina costs 14.7¢ per kWh against 18.3¢ nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 678.4 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.

Is an efficient Wi-Fi router worth it?

Old modem plus separate router, about 20 W: about 175 kWh a year. Current combined gateway, about 8 W: about 70 kWh. The difference is worth $15.48 a year in North Carolina.

Replacing one that still works pays back in 6.5 years.
When yours needs replacing anyway, the extra cost of the efficient model pays back in 6.5 years.

Usage assumed: always on. Typical prices: $100.00 for the efficient model, $100.00 more than a basic one. Work it out with your own prices

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

US states

Canadian provinces

Related appliances

Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz