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How much does it cost to run a security camera?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a security camera costs about $7.95 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- under 0.1¢
- Per day of use
- 2.2¢
- Per month
- 66.3¢
- Per year
- $7.95
Assumption: 5 W, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — 44 kWh a year. Per wired camera, including night-vision illuminators averaged over a day.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | 46.4¢ | $5.57 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | 47.0¢ | $5.64 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | 48.6¢ | $5.83 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | 48.6¢ | $5.83 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | 48.8¢ | $5.86 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | 49.0¢ | $5.88 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | 49.4¢ | $5.93 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | 50.4¢ | $6.04 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | 52.5¢ | $6.29 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | 52.7¢ | $6.32 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | 52.7¢ | $6.32 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | 53.4¢ | $6.41 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | 54.1¢ | $6.49 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | 54.6¢ | $6.55 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | 54.7¢ | $6.57 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | 54.9¢ | $6.59 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | 55.3¢ | $6.64 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | 56.5¢ | $6.78 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | 56.8¢ | $6.82 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | 57.5¢ | $6.90 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | 58.0¢ | $6.96 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | 58.1¢ | $6.97 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | 58.1¢ | $6.97 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | 58.5¢ | $7.02 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | 59.5¢ | $7.14 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | 59.6¢ | $7.15 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | 60.3¢ | $7.23 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | 62.1¢ | $7.45 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | 62.3¢ | $7.47 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | 62.7¢ | $7.52 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | 62.8¢ | $7.53 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | 64.4¢ | $7.73 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | 68.3¢ | $8.19 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | 70.5¢ | $8.46 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | 70.7¢ | $8.49 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | 70.8¢ | $8.50 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | 78.1¢ | $9.37 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | 79.5¢ | $9.54 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | 83.9¢ | $10.07 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | 87.0¢ | $10.44 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | 89.5¢ | $10.74 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | 89.8¢ | $10.78 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | 94.8¢ | $11.38 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $1.01 | $12.11 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $1.03 | $12.34 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $1.05 | $12.55 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $1.07 | $12.88 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $1.09 | $13.03 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $1.11 | $13.35 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $1.17 | $14.06 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $1.72 | $20.66 |
Cutting the number down
- Individually trivial, collectively real: eight cameras around the clock is an always-on load worth knowing about.
Questions
- How many watts does a security camera use?
- About 5 W while running.
- How much does a security camera cost per month?
- About 66.3¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $7.95 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $5.57 a year, versus $20.66 in Hawaii — a spread of $15.09.