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Router power consumption and electricity cost

 The routers are continuously connected to power and consume electricity. 

If you have an old Wi-Fi router, you should find out its energy usage as it may be more economical to buy a newer and more efficient model.

How much power and electricity does a router use

In the picture below, you can see a Wi-Fi router that was purchased 5 years ago. 

router power consumption

It consumes 31,25 Watts per hour, while the more modern routers consume around 10 Watts per hour.

Let’s run some calculations to determine the electricity usage and cost of our 31,25 Watts Wi-Fi router.

12,5 Volts (V) x 2,5 Amps (A) = an electricity usage of 31,25 Watts hour (Wh)

31,25 Wh / 1000 = an electricity usage of 0,03125 Kilowatts hour (kWh)

0,03125 kWh x 24 hours = an electricity usage of 0,75 Kilowatts hour per day

We pay our electricity provider 0,217 euros for every Kilowatt hour we consume. So, this is how much it is costing us on electricity to run our router:

0,75 kWh per day x 0,217 euro = 0,162 euro per day

0,162 euro per day x 365 days per year = 59,4 euro per year

This is a considerable electricity cost for a Wi-Fi router, so it would be worth it for us to change to a newer and more efficient Wi-Fi router…

31,25 watts router = 59,4 euros per year in electricity costs

10 watts router = 19 euros per year in electricity costs

How to calculate power from voltage and current

If you only know the voltage and current of your router, you can calculate the power consumption in Watts using the calculator below.

 

For more information about Power, Voltage, and Current, scroll down to the ‘Electricity Measurement Units’ section.

Router electricity cost calculator

If on your router’s specifications label, only the Voltage (V) and Amperage (A) are displayed, this calculator can be used to calculate the Power (P) consumption.

The Power (P) consumption is needed to make further calculations.

 

Once you know the power consumption in Watts (W) and how much you pay your electricity provider for every kilowatt hour (kWh) you consume, you can use this calculator to estimate the electricity usage and the electricity cost.

 

For example:

> A 40 Watts router, connected to power the whole year and with an electricity cost of 0,217 euros per kWh, would add around 76 euros to our electricity bill.

> A 15 Watts router, connected to power the whole year and with an electricity cost of 0,217 euros per kWh, would add around 28,5 euros to our electricity bill.

How much does electricity cost

If you don’t know how much you are paying per kWh, you should be able to find the cost per kWh on your electricity contract or in one of the electricity bills.

how much does electricity cost

Alternatively, if you don’t have access to your contract or electricity bills, this website shows the electricity cost per country.

Home appliances and devices electricity calculators

A few other examples from our ‘Electricity usage and electricity cost calculators‘ page that may be of your interest:

Router electricity usage monitor

If you want to know the exact electricity usage of a router, your best option is to use a plug-in power meter to measure the exact power consumption and electricity cost. 

Clicking on the image below it will redirect you to the Amazon page, where you can have a look at the specifications of the power meter we use for our measurements.

plug in power meter

Our house appliances and devices like the washing machine, the dishwasher, the TV, or the printer are plugged into a wall socket. 

So, with a power consumption meter, we can determine how much electricity our appliances or devices are using, and, more importantly, we can measure the electricity usage over time.

If you want to find out how you can use a plug-in power meter to measure your electricity usage and electricity cost, have a look at this YouTube video.

Plug in power meter

How to lower the electricity bill of a router

Well, by now you should have come to the conclusion that the most effective method to save electricity is to buy an efficient wi-fi router.

Of course, if you are planning to go for a long vacation you should power off your router and that would save you some electricity and money.

It may not be a huge saving but every little counts. If each one of use do switch off our routers two or three weeks per year, collectively it may add to a significant amount of electricity being saved.

Router electricity usage FAQ

How much power does a router use?

A router uses between 2 and 20 Watts per hour.

How much energy does a router use?

Power and energy refer to the same term.

A router uses between 2 and 20 Watts per hour.

Does a wifi router use much electricity?

No, the power consumption of a router is very low so they don’t use much electricity.

You can use the calculator from the ‘ Electricity cost calculator’ section to calculate a router’s electricity usage and cost.

Electricity measurement units

Not everybody is familiar with terms like Watts, Kilowatts, or Kilowatt hours, so if you would like to learn more about them, look at this YouTube video we have prepared about this topic.

What is a Kilowatt hour (kWh)

Electricity measurement units calculators

Or you can have a look at this electricity measurement units calculators to get a better understanding of:

> What is a Watt (W), and how to transform Watts into Kilowatts

> What is a Kilowatt (kW), and how to transform Kilowatts into Kilowatts hour

> What is a Kilowatt hour (kWh), and how to transform Kilowatts hours into other units

> What are Power (P), Voltage (V), and Current (I)

Watt (W)
Watt (W) wattage calculator
Kilowatt (kW)
Kilowatt (kW) calculator
Kilowatt hour (kWh)
Kilowatt hour (kWh) calculator
Power, voltage, current
Power, voltage, current calculator

Routers and energy conservation

Energy conservation can be defined as the decision and the act of using less energy.

Energy conservation for benefits both you and the environment.

The act of saving and conserving electricity does benefit you because you will be paying less for your energy bills. 

And it also benefits the environment because conserving electricity prevents unnecessary waste of natural resources.

At the individual level, it may not look worth trying to save a few watts here or there. 

Still, every little one counts, and if hundreds or thousands of us save a little every time, it will make an important contribution towards conserving our natural resources.

Energy conservation calculator

If we could reduce our router’s electricity usage, even a very small amount, it would greatly impact preserving our natural resources.

 

For example, if 9000 households save as little as 10 Watts per day (0,01 kWh) on the router’s electricity usage, that would add to 32850 Kilowatt hours (kWh) saved per year. 

9000 households x 0,01 kWh per day x 365 days per year 

32,850 kWh saved per year

That is a considerable amount of electricity, but let’s add additional perspectives for clarity:

> Assuming an average cost of 0,18 euros (or dollars, pounds, or any other currency) per kWh, we would collectively save nearly 6000 euros annually.

> To produce 32,850 kWh of electricity, it is necessary to use around 17 metric tons of coal or 56 barrels of residual fuel oil.

Look at this page for more information about the resources needed to produce electricity.
 

In any case, small energy savings do count when looking into the bigger picture.

Proven ways to save electricity at home

Suppose you are looking for ideas to save electricity at home; look at this YouTube video. We show some useful tips for reducing electricity usage at home and decreasing the electricity bill. 

How to save electricity at home
How to save
How to save
How to earn
How to earn

Calculators

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