The short answer
Add the energy used in gaming, other active tasks and each low-power mode across non-overlapping hours. Console model and settings matter: rest mode can maintain downloads or charge accessories. Use the manufacturer's matching declaration or your own measurement, then multiply total kWh by your tariff.
Use the electricity cost calculatorOn this page
Separate gaming from the hours after gaming
A console’s input rating is not its constant gameplay draw. Games, streaming, menus, downloads and background functions can create different operating states. Check the exact model and task in a manufacturer’s energy declaration, or record your own accumulated wall-input kWh.
Sony publishes mode and model information in its energy-efficiency disclosures. Those declared conditions do not establish the same use for every regional revision or game. Keep the source’s model, test mode and limitations with any figure you reuse.
Use the electricity calculator to price an active session or its daily routine, and the standby and always-on calculator for separately timed rest or shutdown states.
Rest mode is a set of features
PlayStation’s PS5 support explains that USB charging and an internet connection can remain available in rest mode, and that enabling these functions affects its low-power consumption. Check Settings → System → Power Saving and review the rest-mode features actually enabled on your console. Model and software determine the options you see.
Xbox’s published power guidance distinguishes Shutdown (energy saving) from Sleep, with adjustable active hours described in its April 2023 update. That historical explanation supports the distinction; it should not be treated as a new 2026 test of your console. Review the current power options and any functions you need before changing them.
A screen being off does not prove that a download has finished or that the console is in its lowest-power state. Controller charging can also change during the observation period.
An illustrative daily and annual calculation
This example assigns hypothetical mode averages to demonstrate the calculation. It is not a measured PS5, Xbox or Nintendo result. The tariff is also assumed.
| Mode | Assumed power and daily hours | Daily energy |
|---|---|---|
| Gameplay | 200 W for 2 hours | 0.40 kWh |
| Rest with chosen features | 5 W for 22 hours | 0.11 kWh |
| Total | 24 non-overlapping hours | 0.51 kWh |
Across 365 identical days, total energy is 0.51 × 365 = 186.15 kWh. At £0.28/kWh, that costs £52.12/year, excluding the television and other equipment.
Edit the 200 W active-use portion, then price the rest portion separately. That link contains only the active-use arithmetic and does not include rest energy.
Compare a lower-power alternative on equal hours
If the same illustrative console instead averages 0.5 W across those 22 hours, while gameplay remains unchanged:
(0.200 × 2 + 0.0005 × 22) × 365 = 150.015 kWh/year.
That costs £42.00 at the assumed tariff. The unrounded energy difference is 36.135 kWh, saving £10.12/year. The example does not promise that all consoles have these modes or that an update, download or controller charge uses zero energy.
For a routine with two hours of downloads before a low-power period, allocate those two hours explicitly and reduce the remaining hours. Do not add them to an already complete 24-hour schedule.
Capture the complete session and its boundary
An accumulated meter sample can include startup, the game session and its shutdown transition. Record whether the TV, display, speakers or charger are included. If the display is separate, calculate its viewing and standby use separately. A full entertainment-strip measurement already includes its connected equipment.
Use a monitor appropriate for the local voltage, socket and load, following its instructions. A short gaming session is a task observation; a complete-day record also captures other states during that day. The measurement guide explains how to preserve this distinction. Repeat observations of comparable games and settings before describing an average.
Apply your own US, UK or EU price
The kWh arithmetic works in each market. A UK tariff entered in pounds, a US tariff entered in dollars and an EU tariff entered in euros create separate estimates; choosing a currency does not convert prices. With time-of-use pricing, use the energy in each charged window rather than assuming the same proportion as elapsed hours.
Keep the routine and source notes with your household plan. If the goal is to explain a high bill, compare the whole billing period rather than attributing every unexplained kWh to gaming.
Price separate operating states
Choose “Separate active, idle and standby modes” in the electricity calculator. Record average input watts, daily hours and a source or assumption for each state. The hours must total no more than 24; unassigned time remains excluded. A complete-day measurement is an alternative and must not be added to overlapping mode estimates. Follow a reproducible mode example before applying your own tariff and use days.