How much electricity does a router use per month?

The Surprising Energy Efficiency of Your Home Router

Our modern lives are inextricably linked to the internet, and at the heart of our connected homes sits the humble Wi-Fi router. These unsung heroes hum away 24/7, powering our streaming, gaming, and countless other digital activities. But just how much electricity do these ever-present devices actually consume? The answer might surprise you.

While constantly running, modern Wi-Fi routers are remarkably energy-efficient. A typical home router consumes a surprisingly low amount of power, averaging around 10 watts. This seemingly small number translates to a surprisingly modest monthly electricity bill impact.

To break it down, a 10-watt router operating continuously for 30 days (720 hours) consumes approximately 7.2 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month (10 watts x 720 hours / 1000). This figure is relatively insignificant compared to other household appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners, or even televisions.

Several factors can influence a router’s exact energy consumption. Higher-end routers with more advanced features and powerful processors might consume slightly more power. Similarly, the router’s workload – a high volume of data transfer, for instance – could lead to a temporary increase in energy use. However, these variations typically remain within a narrow range, and the overall energy consumption stays remarkably low.

Consider this: the cost of running your router for a month, at a typical US residential electricity price of around 15 cents per kWh, would be approximately $1.08 (7.2 kWh x $0.15/kWh). This minimal cost underscores the energy efficiency of modern router technology.

While the environmental impact of a single router is minimal, the cumulative effect of millions of routers operating worldwide is certainly noteworthy. However, the relatively low energy consumption of individual routers highlights the impressive advancements in power-saving technologies within these crucial devices. So, while your router is silently working hard to connect you to the world, rest assured that its energy footprint remains surprisingly small.