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

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Laptop in North Carolina?

The short answer

In North Carolina, a laptop drawing 60W costs about $0.01 per hour — roughly $2.21 a month if it runs 8 hours a day.

North Carolina’s average residential rate was 15.2¢ per kWh in July 2026 (EIA), 17% below the US average.

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

Laptop cost by daily use in North Carolina

Cost at 15.2¢/kWh, the North Carolina average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 1.8 $0.01 $0.28 $3.32
2 hours/day 3.7 $0.02 $0.55 $6.64
4 hours/day 7.3 $0.04 $1.11 $13.28
8 hours/day 14.6 $0.07 $2.21 $26.56
12 hours/day 21.9 $0.11 $3.32 $39.84
24 hours/day 43.8 $0.22 $6.64 $79.68

North Carolina vs other states

At typical use, a laptop costs $26.56 a year in North Carolina — $57.54 less than in Hawaii and $4.27 more than in Louisiana.

North Carolina has the 16th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. electricity prices in North Carolina · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in North Carolina

15.2¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +13.4% 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 North Carolina?

Running a 60W laptop for 24 hours uses about 1.44 kWh, which costs about $0.22 at North Carolina’s average rate of 15.2¢/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 North Carolina that costs $2.21.

Is it expensive to run a laptop in North Carolina?

North Carolina has the 16th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 15.2¢/kWh — cheaper than most. Running a laptop here costs about $26.56 a year at typical use, compared with $32.08 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in North Carolina right now?

The average residential electricity rate in North Carolina was 15.2¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 13.4% from a year earlier.

Laptop costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method