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 · Maine

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

The short answer

A typical 150W desktop computer costs about $0.05 per hour to run in Maine, or $11.83 a month at 8 hours a day.

Maine’s average residential rate was 32.4¢ per kWh in July 2026 (EIA), 77% above the US average.

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

Desktop Computer cost by daily use in Maine

Cost at 32.4¢/kWh, the Maine average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 4.6 $0.05 $1.48 $17.74
2 hours/day 9.1 $0.10 $2.96 $35.49
4 hours/day 18.3 $0.19 $5.92 $70.98
8 hours/day 36.5 $0.39 $11.83 $142
12 hours/day 54.8 $0.58 $17.75 $213
24 hours/day 109.5 $1.17 $35.49 $426

Maine vs other states

At typical use, a desktop computer costs $142 a year in Maine — $68.28 less than in Hawaii and $86.24 more than in Louisiana.

Maine has the 3rd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Maine electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Maine

32.4¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +15.8% 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 Maine?

Running a 150W desktop computer for 24 hours uses about 3.60 kWh, which costs about $1.17 at Maine’s average rate of 32.4¢/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 Maine that costs $11.83.

Is it expensive to run a desktop computer in Maine?

Maine has the 3rd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 32.4¢/kWh — one of the most expensive. Running a desktop computer here costs about $142 a year at typical use, compared with $80.20 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Maine right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Maine was 32.4¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 15.8% from a year earlier.

Desktop Computer costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method