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 · Ohio

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

The short answer

A typical 150W desktop computer costs about $0.03 per hour to run in Ohio, or $7.10 a month at 8 hours a day.

Ohio’s average residential rate was 19.5¢ per kWh in July 2026 (EIA), 6% above the US average.

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

Desktop Computer cost by daily use in Ohio

Cost at 19.5¢/kWh, the Ohio average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 4.6 $0.03 $0.89 $10.65
2 hours/day 9.1 $0.06 $1.78 $21.30
4 hours/day 18.3 $0.12 $3.55 $42.60
8 hours/day 36.5 $0.23 $7.10 $85.19
12 hours/day 54.8 $0.35 $10.65 $128
24 hours/day 109.5 $0.70 $21.30 $256

Ohio vs other states

At typical use, a desktop computer costs $85.19 a year in Ohio — $125 less than in Hawaii and $29.48 more than in Louisiana.

Ohio has the 16th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. electricity prices in Ohio · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Ohio

19.5¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +11.9% 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 Ohio?

Running a 150W desktop computer for 24 hours uses about 3.60 kWh, which costs about $0.70 at Ohio’s average rate of 19.5¢/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 Ohio that costs $7.10.

Is it expensive to run a desktop computer in Ohio?

Ohio has the 16th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 19.5¢/kWh — pricier than most. Running a desktop computer here costs about $85.19 a year at typical use, compared with $80.20 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Ohio right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Ohio was 19.5¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 11.9% from a year earlier.

Desktop Computer costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method