Replacing Old PC with Energy-Efficient Mini PC: Is It Financially Profitable?
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 until now, I have been working from home. I use my own electricity and internet connection at home, even though the costs are reimbursed by the company I work for. The PC I use for work usually stays on from 8 AM to 10 PM (including for entertainment after work). This means my PC consumes electricity for 14 hours a day, 5 days a week. It occurred to me: would switching to a mini PC with similar performance but lower power consumption benefit me financially?
To answer that question, let’s calculate the electricity consumption of my old PC compared to a more energy-efficient mini PC.
| Item | Old PC | Mini PC |
|---|---|---|
| Average power consumption (W) | 75 | 10 |
| Duration turned on (h) | 14 | 14 |
| Daily kWh consumption | 1.05 | 0.14 |
| Monthly kWh consumption | 22.05 | 2.94 |
| Electricity price per kWh (Rp) | 1,800 | 1,800 |
| Monthly electricity cost (Rp) | 39,690 | 5,292 |
From the table above, it can be seen that the savings from replacing the old PC with a Mini PC is Rp34,398. Quite a significant value, actually. But when we compare it with the purchase price of the Mini PC and how long it takes for the return on investment (ROI) to occur, is it still profitable?
| Item | Old PC | Mini PC |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | – | 7,299,000 |
| Selling price | 5,000,000 | – |
| Budget deficit | – | 2,299,000 |
| Monthly savings | – | 34,398 |
| ROI in months | – | 66 |
| ROI in years | – | 5.5 |
Assuming my old PC is sold for 5 million rupiah, and the remaining cost for the Mini PC purchase is covered by the monthly savings from reduced electricity usage, I would only reach ROI in 5.5 years! This is a very long duration for a technology device purchase. In my opinion, upgrading technology devices should ideally be done every 3 or 4 years.
Even in a scenario where the Mini PC purchase is intended for productive and profitable purposes, using an existing PC—even if it’s slightly more power-hungry—is still more profitable. Therefore, if I ever buy this Mini PC in the future, it won’t be for the savings, but because of curiosity 😝
Stay curious! ✨