How Much Does It Cost to Run a Laptop Computer? (UK 2026)
Based on the active UK Ofgem price cap of 24.5p per kWh (1 January 2026 – 31 March 2026).
A typical 60W laptop computer costs £0.01 per hour of continuous use at current UK electricity rates (24.5p/kWh). For typical daily usage (8 hours of remote work/study on weekdays (~0.48 kWh/day)), it costs approximately £0.12 per day or £32.21 per year.
Manufacturer specs: Dell XPS, Apple MacBook Air & Lenovo ThinkPad standard 45W–65W USB-C power adapters
* Includes 1W standby consumption outside active hours (£1.63/year).
How to Save Money Running a Laptop Computer
- Lower screen brightness to 60–70%; display illumination accounts for up to 40% of laptop power draw.
- Enable Battery Saver / Eco mode in Windows or macOS to throttle background tasks and processor clock speed.
- Unplug external USB peripherals (hard drives, webcams, RGB accessories) when not in active use.
- Switch your primary home office setup from a desktop PC to a laptop to cut electricity consumption by 80%.
Alternative Appliances Compared
vs. Desktop PC
View running cost →An office desktop PC uses 120W to 200W, whereas a laptop uses only 30W to 60W for identical spreadsheet and web tasks.
vs. Television (Streaming)
View running cost →Watching video on a laptop uses roughly one-third of the electricity drawn by a 55" television.
Laptop Computer Technical Power Profile
Source data: Dell XPS, Apple MacBook Air & Lenovo ThinkPad standard 45W–65W USB-C power adapters
Frequently Asked Questions: Laptop Computer Electricity Costs
How much does it cost to charge and run a laptop for 8 hours in the UK?â–¾
At an average 60W draw, an 8-hour workday consumes 0.48 kWh. At 24.5p/kWh, this costs approx. 11.8p per day, or £2.55 per month.
Does keeping a laptop plugged in all day damage the battery or use extra electricity?â–¾
Modern laptops stop charging once the battery reaches 100% and bypass power directly to the internal circuitry, consuming only idle operating power.
How much electricity does a MacBook Air use compared to a Windows laptop?â–¾
Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) laptops are exceptionally efficient, idling at 5W–10W and drawing only 20W–35W under moderate workloads.
Does leaving a laptop charger plugged into the wall with no laptop use power?â–¾
Modern switch-mode chargers draw virtually negligible power (less than 0.1W to 0.2W), costing around 20p to 40p per year in "vampire" draw.
How much money can switching from a desktop to a laptop save annually?â–¾
For someone working 40 hours a week from home, switching from a 180W desktop setup to a 50W laptop saves around £60 to £85 per year in the UK.