How Much Does Working From Home Add to Your Electric Bill?
A laptop, monitor and desk lamp used 8 hours a day add about $2.77 a month at the US average residential electricity price, using an assumed 90 watts in total. Heating and cooling the house during the day can add far more. You can estimate your own number with the wattage of your devices, your hours, and your local price per kilowatthour.
1. The basic math
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) explains the units. Watts measure power at a given moment. Watthours measure electricity used over time: one watthour is one watt used for one hour. Utilities bill in kilowatthours (kWh), and one kilowatt is 1,000 watts. EIA's example: a 40-watt bulb used for five hours uses 200 watthours, or 0.2 kWh.
So for any device:
- Watts x hours per day = watthours per day.
- Divide by 1,000 to get kWh per day.
- Multiply by days of use and by your price per kWh.
2. What electricity costs (EIA data for July 2026)
EIA publishes average residential electricity prices by state each month. In its Electric Power Monthly release with July 2026 data, the US average residential price was 18.31 cents per kWh, up from 17.45 cents in July 2025. State averages vary widely. A few examples from the same table, for July 2026:
| Location | Residential price (cents per kWh) |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72 |
| Texas | 15.88 |
| US average | 18.31 |
| California | 33.61 |
| Hawaii | 48.00 |
Your own bill shows your actual rate, which is the most accurate number to use.
3. A worked example: a typical desk setup
These wattages are assumptions for illustration. Your devices may draw more or less, and the label or power adapter usually lists a maximum figure.
- Laptop: 50 watts
- External monitor: 30 watts
- LED desk lamp: 10 watts
- Total: 90 watts
At 8 hours a day: 90 x 8 = 720 watthours, or 0.72 kWh per day. Over 21 workdays a month, that is 15.12 kWh per month.
At different prices, using the July 2026 averages above:
| Location | Monthly cost | Cost for 250 workdays a year |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | $1.92 | $22.90 |
| Texas | $2.40 | $28.58 |
| US average | $2.77 | $32.96 |
| California | $5.08 | $60.50 |
| Hawaii | $7.26 | $86.40 |
At the US average, the whole desk setup costs under $3 a month. Even at Hawaii's price, it stays under $8.
4. Where the real increase comes from
The bigger change when you start working from home is usually keeping the house warm or cool during hours it used to sit empty, plus lights and appliances like the kettle and microwave.
To see the scale, consider a portable electric heater. Assume a 1,500-watt heater runs 3 hours a day to warm a cold office. That is 1,500 x 3 = 4,500 watthours, or 4.5 kWh per day, which is 6.25 times the entire 0.72 kWh desk setup. Over 21 workdays, it comes to 94.5 kWh, about $17.30 a month at the US average price. One space heater in winter can easily cost more than all your computer equipment combined.
Central heating, central air conditioning and electric water heating are larger still, and their cost depends heavily on your home, climate and thermostat settings, so they are worth checking on your actual bill.
5. How to measure instead of guess
- Read the label. Most devices list their maximum power in watts on the back, the bottom or the power adapter. Actual use is often lower.
- Compare bills. Look at your kWh usage for the same month before and after you started working from home, since weather affects usage from season to season.
- Use a plug-in usage monitor. These inexpensive meters sit between the outlet and the device and show actual watts and kWh.
- Check your rate. Your bill shows your price per kWh, which may differ from your state average and may change with the time of day on some plans.
6. Ways to keep the cost down
- Let screens sleep when you step away and shut down at the end of the day.
- Heat or cool the room you work in rather than the whole house, where that is practical and safe.
- Use daylight where you can and LED bulbs for desk lighting.
- If your employer offers a home office stipend, the figures above can help you see how far it goes.
7. Key takeaways
- Electricity use is watts x hours, divided by 1,000 to get kWh; your bill price per kWh converts that to dollars.
- EIA data put the US average residential price at 18.31 cents per kWh for July 2026, with large differences by state.
- An assumed 90-watt laptop, monitor and lamp setup used 8 hours a day costs about $2.77 a month at the US average.
- Heating and cooling during work hours usually add far more than computers; one 1,500-watt heater for 3 hours a day can cost about $17 a month.
- Compare your kWh use on bills before and after starting remote work for the most accurate picture.