What is an average cost to run these two PC's 24/7 for one month?

[MorfordRodney]

I know yhis is not an easy ? but i have been told that because of my PC's my rent is going up $200.00. I really do not run both pc's 24/7 but am Wanting to know for 24/7 to get a good aspect on this price hike.
COMPUTER ONE
Full Tower w/ 800watt power supply
quad core Phantom 9950 140watt w/ 140watt compatable motherboard
3 hard drives totaling 1070GB
6GB of ram
1 3650 Graphic Card ati
3 usb drives totaling 22GB
1 1TB seagate usb drive
CD/DVD Brunner
wide screen hp monitor
This pc has a 250 led fan on the side, 2 120 led one in front and one in back


Computer Two
Mid Tower w/ 550watt power supply
dual core Athalon x2
1 250GB hard drive
4GB of ram
1 8600gt Graphic card
1 4GB usb Drive
CD/DVD Brunner
Wide Screen HP Monitor
This pc has 3 120 led fans

I live in Columbus,Oh and have AEP eletric company. Please any info on how much it should cost to run these 24/7 would be very helpful.

Thank You

[HAL9000]

Assuming your system is pulling the FULL 800 watts your power supply is capable of... which I'll tell you right now it's not... but at a full 800 watts, plus a full 550 watts on the second system you would be using approx 986 killowatts per month... now I don't know what the monthly killowatt charge is where you are, but where I am, it's 10 cents... so that would equate to about $98.60 per month... now unless your power is twice the cost of mine, you're getting ripped... and like I stated earlier, that is assuming your systems are pulling maximum power 24/7 which they are not.

[vtfanmv5]

Maximum - 1.35 kW * 30 days * 24 hours = 972 kWh. Assuming maybe $0.12/kWh, that's $116. However, those systems are probably pulling only 800-900 W combined, so I'm guessing the actual cost is in the $60-70 range.

[faulkner132]

Don't forget about the heat these two systems generate and the subsequent AC cost to keep the room cool.
Speaking from experience, I have a Celeron 2.7 Ghz which runs around ~41C and if I have the door closed it is noticeably hotter than the rest of the house.

Just turn off your computers when you aren't using them, that will save lots of power.

[Khalil]

For folding I am running 4 machines with a total of 14 video cards, my electric bill went by $88 last month. Power supplies are all Antec 750W 80 plus Brnoze

[David M]

It would be difficult to calculate an average for the number of watts a computer uses or the price per kilowatt-hour for electrical power. Even if you did calculate an average, it would be useless information because these two variables fluctuate quite a bit, especially for how much power a computer uses. Look at the difference between the power a low end laptop versus a high end gaming machine draws. Look how power rates fluctuate all over the US.

A more useful figure for the individual would be for him or her to be able to calculate for himself much power his computer uses and to multiply that figure times the cost per kilowatt hour times 24 times the number of days in a month. This would be a much more useful figure than an average.

Calculating how much power your computer uses is easy. Borrow or buy an clamp ammeter along with the adapter that splits the AC wires. This will give you the current being drawn in amps. Multiply the amps times the volts times the power factor, which is probably very close to 1. This will give you the power being used, in watts. Divide that figure by 1000 to give you kilowatts. You then need to go to your electric utility bill and see the cost for a kilowatt-hour of power. Then do the math and you can calculate how much per month it costs to use YOUR computer if you leave it on 24/7.

Don't forget to calculate the power draw from your monitor, modem, UPS, printer, sound system, external hard drive or any other external devices that you might have. Many of these devices draw power just being plugged in whether or not they are being used.

[piasabird]

One thing I wonder is how does your landlord justify the $200.00 per month increase in rent? I have seen a couple of places that sell these wattage meters that you plug into the wall and then you plug in your plug and it tells you how much energy you are using. This way you could plug in your surge protected plug and see how much all your items on your PC, i.e. Monitor, Computer, speakers and printer are going to use. My guess is that it does not really cost that much because how computers and monitors and even printers go into sleep mode when you are not using them.

So do you have a lease? Or is it expiring and time to renegotiate. Check your lease and see what kind of options you have under the law. Might be time for some negotiating. I know that refrigerators and items like water heaters and air conditioners probably use more power. It probably costs more to run a large TV than a computer. I would question how he knows you are using more power than other people. Tell him you will turn your computers off for a month and you want to see what the difference is and if it is less you want your increase to be less. There are ways to monitor the power.

It might be that if you used some newer refrigerator and an LCD TV that you would lower your electric usage. Nothing wrong with negotiating.

[HAL9000]

Black and Decker sells a device that attaches to the power meter (without having to crack it open which is illegal to do) and with that allows you to input your cost for electricity and you can actually take a look just by turning things on and off just how much each item costs you.

[David M]

It does not seem right to run up your electric utility bill because someone else is paying for it. If someone wants to do that then they should pay the additional cost themselves. Besides, running a computer 24/7 if it is not being used 24/7 is wasteful and does nothing for the environment. We shut off our engines when we are done driving our cars, right?

Wall outlet power meters:
http://www.powermeterstore.com/c112/...wer_meters.php

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 Black and Decker sells a device that attaches to the power meter (without having to crack it open which is illegal to do) and with that allows you to input your cost for electricity and you can actually take a look just by turning things on and off just how much each item costs you.

Awesome HAL do you know what the device is called. I have been wanting to get something like this for a while now. I looked on the B&D site but I can't seem to find it.

[David M]

Check my previous link Khalil. I like the Kill-A-Watt EZ. Seems like a fair price and would not take long for it to pay for itself with the additional knowledge of what are the energy hogs (and savers) around the house.

[Khalil]

Thank you Dave, I just ordered one!!!!

[David M]

Yeah...I am thinking of getting one as well now. Seems easier and a little more informative than a clamp ammeter.

[HAL9000]

This is the gizmo that I was talking about.. it will monitor your whole home... so if you want to check things like how much power your central AC is using, you can. You can look at each item just by taking a before reading, then turn the device on. Of course, this depends on if you have access to the power meter.

[Khalil]

Thanks HAL I ordered that as well and it is compatible with my meters both at the main shop and here at home, at home though I am going to get nailed no matter what because of all the machines I am folding with and I am adding more.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by MorfordRodney I know yhis is not an easy ? but i have been told that because of my PC's my rent is going up $200.00.

Don't let landlords jerk you around - a $200 charge for using your computers is absurd. As stated above, consult your lease. I doubt they have any legal right to do this. The $200 sounds totally arbitrary.

[Khalil]

Also in every county and big city they have tenant/landlord mediators, they are in place to make sure landlords don't abuse tenants, asking you to pay $200 a month so you can use your computers is absured.
I doubt your computers will use a quarter of that in a month.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Khalil Also in every county and big city they have tenant/landlord mediators, they are in place to make sure landlords don't abuse tenants, asking you to pay $200 a month so you can use your computers is absured. I doubt your computers will use a quarter of that in a month.

All the reason to quantify exactly how much it would cost to run your computer 24/7.

A smart landlord would put a meter on your unit and let you pay the bill. Then there would be no argument over what is fair.