3 ms·
> If you're worried about power consumption from a cost perspective, it's going to take a long time to break even from the cost of new hardware, even for a chea
by Sebb767 6y ago
> If you're worried about power consumption from a cost perspective, it's going to take a long time to break even from the cost of new hardware, even for a cheap pi.
That depends a lot on where you live. In Germany, prices scratch 0.3€/kWh. A new Pi sets you back 60€ [0]. Assuming you save 20W and it's on 24/7, you'll break even in just above a year[1].
[0] I know it's marketed as cheaper, but you never get it for 35€ and then you still need cables and an SD card.
[1] you save 52.50€ per year
- sgtnoodle 6y agoSure, and it never hurts to do the math for your particular situation. Being in California I'm probably paying about the same as you per kWh. I do think 20W delta is rather optimistic, since the last time I checked a decade ago, laptops only consume 10-15W at idle, and pi's likely consume at least a few watts themselves. Laptop hardware is generally pretty good about reliably suspending to ram and resuming. My general point is that there's a lot of externalized costs to consider depending on what you're trying to optimize for. For example, I live in a somewhat chilly area most of the year, and part of my home is electrically heated rather than by natural gas. I don't particularly care how efficient any electronics are in that part of the house (when I'm using them) because that electricity is converted into useful heat just as well as a space heater would do it.
- Sebb767 6y agoGood points as well! > it never hurts to do the math for your particular situation I think we can agree on that :)