U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
Appliances Rates by state Compare Calculators Reports Methodology About

Home Office · California

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Desktop Computer in California?

The short answer

In California, a desktop computer drawing 150W costs about $0.05 per hour — roughly $12.27 a month if it runs 8 hours a day.

That’s based on California’s average residential rate of 33.6¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 84% above the US average.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Desktop Computer cost by daily use in California

Cost at 33.6¢/kWh, the California average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 4.6 $0.05 $1.53 $18.40
2 hours/day 9.1 $0.10 $3.07 $36.80
4 hours/day 18.3 $0.20 $6.13 $73.61
8 hours/day 36.5 $0.40 $12.27 $147
12 hours/day 54.8 $0.60 $18.40 $221
24 hours/day 109.5 $1.21 $36.81 $442

California vs other states

At typical use, a desktop computer costs $147 a year in California — $63.03 less than in Hawaii and $91.50 more than in Louisiana.

California has the 2nd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. electricity prices in California · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in California

33.6¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +2.9% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a desktop computer

Everyday desktop use — browsing, documents, video calls — is light work for a modern PC, so most office desktops plus a monitor draw around 100–200W. Workstations rendering video or running heavy software use more. Sleep mode drops consumption to just a few watts, so letting the computer sleep when you step away makes a real difference over a year.

  • Set the computer to sleep after 15–30 minutes and the display after 5–10 minutes.
  • Turn off the whole setup with a power strip at the end of the day.
  • Lower monitor brightness — it often accounts for a big share of the total.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a desktop computer for 24 hours in California?

Running a 150W desktop computer for 24 hours uses about 3.60 kWh, which costs about $1.21 at California’s average rate of 33.6¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a desktop computer use per month?

At 8 hours a day, a typical desktop computer uses about 36.5 kWh a month. In California that costs $12.27.

Is it expensive to run a desktop computer in California?

California has the 2nd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 33.6¢/kWh — one of the most expensive. Running a desktop computer here costs about $147 a year at typical use, compared with $80.20 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in California right now?

The average residential electricity rate in California was 33.6¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 2.9% from a year earlier.

Desktop Computer costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method