U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Home Office · Colorado

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

The short answer

In Colorado, a desktop computer drawing 150W costs about $0.03 per hour — roughly $6.21 a month if it runs 8 hours a day.

That’s based on Colorado’s average residential rate of 17.0¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 7% below the US average.

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

Desktop Computer cost by daily use in Colorado

Cost at 17.0¢/kWh, the Colorado average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 4.6 $0.03 $0.78 $9.31
2 hours/day 9.1 $0.05 $1.55 $18.62
4 hours/day 18.3 $0.10 $3.10 $37.23
8 hours/day 36.5 $0.20 $6.21 $74.46
12 hours/day 54.8 $0.31 $9.31 $112
24 hours/day 109.5 $0.61 $18.62 $223

Colorado vs other states

At typical use, a desktop computer costs $74.46 a year in Colorado — $136 less than in Hawaii and $18.75 more than in Louisiana.

Colorado has the 22nd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Colorado price per kWh · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Colorado

17.0¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +6.3% 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 Colorado?

Running a 150W desktop computer for 24 hours uses about 3.60 kWh, which costs about $0.61 at Colorado’s average rate of 17.0¢/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 Colorado that costs $6.21.

Is it expensive to run a desktop computer in Colorado?

Colorado has the 22nd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 17.0¢/kWh — close to the middle of the pack. Running a desktop computer here costs about $74.46 a year at typical use, compared with $80.20 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Colorado right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Colorado was 17.0¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 6.3% from a year earlier.

Desktop Computer costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

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