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

Entertainment · Vermont

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Gaming PC in Vermont?

The short answer

A typical 500W gaming PC costs about $0.12 per hour to run in Vermont, or $14.45 a month at 4 hours a day.

That’s based on Vermont’s average residential rate of 23.8¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 30% above the US average.

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

Gaming PC cost by daily use in Vermont

Cost at 23.8¢/kWh, the Vermont average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 15.2 $0.12 $3.61 $43.34
2 hours/day 30.4 $0.24 $7.22 $86.69
4 hours/day 60.8 $0.48 $14.45 $173
8 hours/day 121.7 $0.95 $28.90 $347
12 hours/day 182.5 $1.43 $43.35 $520
24 hours/day 365.0 $2.85 $86.70 $1,040

Vermont vs other states

At typical use, a gaming PC costs $173 a year in Vermont — $177 less than in Hawaii and $80.52 more than in Louisiana.

Vermont has the 12th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Vermont price per kWh · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Vermont

23.8¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +7.3% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a gaming PC

A gaming PC's power draw depends on the GPU and CPU and on how demanding the game is. A mid-range build typically pulls around 400–500W from the wall during gaming, while high-end systems with top-tier graphics cards can exceed 700–800W. Idle and desktop use is much lower, often 60–120W. The monitor adds another 30–80W.

  • Cap frame rates to your monitor's refresh rate — rendering frames you can't see wastes power.
  • Use your GPU's power-limit or efficiency settings for a large power cut with a small performance loss.
  • Set the PC to sleep after 15–30 minutes of inactivity.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a gaming PC for 24 hours in Vermont?

Running a 500W gaming PC for 24 hours uses about 12.0 kWh, which costs about $2.85 at Vermont’s average rate of 23.8¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a gaming PC use per month?

At 4 hours a day, a typical gaming PC uses about 60.8 kWh a month. In Vermont that costs $14.45.

Is it expensive to run a gaming PC in Vermont?

Vermont has the 12th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 23.8¢/kWh — pricier than most. Running a gaming PC here costs about $173 a year at typical use, compared with $134 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Vermont right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Vermont was 23.8¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 7.3% from a year earlier.

Does a gaming PC use more electricity than a console?

Usually yes. A typical gaming PC draws 2–3 times more than a PS5 or Xbox Series X while gaming.

Sources & method