How much does it cost to run a baby monitor? (2026 price cap)

Typical rating and how we worked this out

This page uses a typical rating of 3W for a baby monitor; published figures for this appliance range from 1.5W to 5W. A baby monitor is typically left running continuously overnight and often through the day; both the camera/nursery unit and parent unit are low-power electronics, broadly comparable to a smart speaker or router, so even 24/7 use costs very little across a year. The running cost follows the same formula used across this site: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × unit rate. Typical use is modelled as runs continuously, which is how the per-day, per-week and per-year figures above were calculated — see the cost-to-run calculator to change the wattage, hours or region yourself.

Rate used: Ofgem price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026, GB average electricity — 26.32p/kWh (excl. VAT, removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027).

Cost by region

Same appliance, same use — ranked most to least expensive by region under the price cap:

East Midlands is cheapest at £6.66 a year; Merseyside and Northern Wales is most expensive at £7.32 a year — a gap of 66p for identical use.

How a baby monitor compares with similar appliances

Ranked by typical annual cost in garden & other, GB average:

• baby monitor — £6.92 a year (this page)
• video doorbell — £6.92 a year
• sewing machine — £6.48 a year
• vacuum cleaner — £7.98 a year
• electric leaf blower — £5.70 a year
• electric lawnmower — £10.95 a year

Three practical ways to cut the cost

1. Leave the video screen at a lower brightness rather than maximum if adjustable
2. Use a monitor with a sleep/eco mode that reduces streaming quality when there is no movement or sound
3. Unplug spare or unused parent units rather than keeping several charging at once

FAQs

How much does it cost to run a baby monitor for an hour?

0.1p at the GB-average rate (26.32p/kWh, 3W). One typical use — runs continuously — costs closer to 1.9p.

How much does a baby monitor cost to run per year?

Around £6.92 a year at the GB-average rate, assuming runs continuously — about 13p a week.

Which UK region is cheapest to run a baby monitor in?

East Midlands, at £6.66 a year, against £7.32 in Merseyside and Northern Wales — 66p apart for identical use, purely from the regional rate.

Does the exact wattage of my baby monitor change the cost much?

Yes — ratings range 1.5W–5W, so the top of that range costs about 3.3x the bottom. This page uses 3W; check your own rating plate.

Does the October 2026 price cap affect this figure?

Yes — figures use the Ofgem cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Electricity excludes VAT (removed 1 Oct 2026–31 Mar 2027); gas includes 5%. See the price cap page for the full breakdown.

Sources

• Daftlogic — power consumption of typical household appliances — wattage and usage figures for this appliance.
• Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (regional tables, read 12 September 2026).

Related

• Cost-to-run calculator and full A–Z — check any appliance or enter a custom wattage.
• Energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 — every region, every payment method.
• Back-billing calculator — if a bill for this or any appliance looks like it covers too many months.
• Free bill audit — if your overall energy costs look high regardless of any one appliance.