Home Server Power Cost Calculator
A server drawing 30W around the clock adds up to more than a cheap VPS plan. Enter your numbers to see the real cost of running it 24/7.
Assumes the server runs 24/7. Idle consumption usually sits well below the rated power of the PSU quoted on the box — measure the real figure at the wall with an inexpensive plug-in energy meter.
What the number means
The maths is deliberately simple: watts × 24 hours ÷ 1000 gives you kilowatt-hours per day, and your electricity price turns that into money. A server idling at 30W draws about 0.72 kWh a day — around 263 kWh a year. At €0.20/kWh that is over €50 a year, which is the moment most people start thinking about a lower-power box.
Typical figures: a mini PC or laptop-based server idles at 8–15W, a small NAS around 15–25W, and a tower with several spinning disks 40–90W. If you have not measured yours yet, a cheap plug-in energy meter gives you the real number in an afternoon — and the guide above shows how to use that data to find what is actually eating the watts.