Home Office · District of Columbia
How Much Does It Cost to Run a Laptop in District of Columbia?
The short answer
In District of Columbia, a laptop drawing 60W costs about $0.02 per hour — roughly $3.68 a month if it runs 8 hours a day.
That’s based on District of Columbia’s average residential rate of 25.2¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 38% above the US average.
Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated
Laptop cost by daily use in District of Columbia
| Daily use | kWh/month | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour/day | 1.8 | $0.02 | $0.46 | $5.52 |
| 2 hours/day | 3.7 | $0.03 | $0.92 | $11.04 |
| 4 hours/day | 7.3 | $0.06 | $1.84 | $22.08 |
| 8 hours/day | 14.6 | $0.12 | $3.68 | $44.17 |
| 12 hours/day | 21.9 | $0.18 | $5.52 | $66.25 |
| 24 hours/day | 43.8 | $0.36 | $11.04 | $133 |
District of Columbia vs other states
At typical use, a laptop costs $44.17 a year in District of Columbia — $39.93 less than in Hawaii and $21.88 more than in Louisiana.
District of Columbia has the 9th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. electricity prices in District of Columbia · all states ranked
Electricity price trend in District of Columbia
25.2¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +9.4% from a year earlier.
How to lower the cost of running a laptop
Laptops are designed to run on batteries, so they're inherently efficient. Typical use draws 30–60W from the charger, with gaming laptops and mobile workstations reaching 100–200W under load. Even working full time on a laptop costs only a few dollars a month in most states.
- Use battery-saver mode and lower screen brightness.
- Unplug once charged if your laptop lacks charge-limiting features.
- Put it to sleep instead of leaving it idle overnight.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a laptop for 24 hours in District of Columbia?
Running a 60W laptop for 24 hours uses about 1.44 kWh, which costs about $0.36 at District of Columbia’s average rate of 25.2¢/kWh.
How many kWh does a laptop use per month?
At 8 hours a day, a typical laptop uses about 14.6 kWh a month. In District of Columbia that costs $3.68.
Is it expensive to run a laptop in District of Columbia?
District of Columbia has the 9th-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 25.2¢/kWh — one of the most expensive. Running a laptop here costs about $44.17 a year at typical use, compared with $32.08 at the national average rate.
What is the electricity rate in District of Columbia right now?
The average residential electricity rate in District of Columbia was 25.2¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 9.4% from a year earlier.
Laptop costs in nearby states
Other appliances in District of Columbia
Cheapest and priciest states
Comparisons
Sources & method
- Electricity rates: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly — average residential retail price, July 2026 (latest available). Retrieved .
- CO₂: EIA State Electricity Profiles, 2024 emissions rate of in-state power generation.
- Default usage for laptop: 8 hours a day. Typical power 60W.
- Formulas, duty cycles and limitations: methodology. Data download: open data (CC BY 4.0).