Check out my first post here: My First home lab: 2023 HP z440 Edition.

Many people have asked how much power my homelab setup has been using, so I took some time to do some quick math to help answer some of these questions.

Let's find the total power draw…

To measure total power draw more accurately than taking a random peek at the displays on my UPS units, I attached BN-LINK smart plugs upstream of each UPS.

Here is a view of the BN-LINK smart plugs.

BN-Link smart plugs attached to UPS systems

The plugs provide a simple way to measure and track power consumption over time, and the BN-LINK iOS app keeps the history accessible.

Here's a sample view from one of these plugs.

Smart plug app showing power consumption data

Let's crunch the numbers.

After tallying the plugs, the homelab averaged about 21 kWh per day.

When I first started my #homelab journey… the math would have been…

At an average electricity cost of $0.10 per kWh, that would be about $2.10 per day or $766 per year.

However, my energy provider had recently added a delivery rider that brought the effective price closer to $0.16 per kWh.

At that rate, the estimate becomes roughly $3.36 per day or $1,226 per year.

That made it worth looking for ways to reduce the cost per kWh, including comparing energy providers available in my area.

Regardless, I am really enjoying my homelab 😎

Missed my first update on my homelab?

Check out my first post here: My First home lab: 2023 HP z440 Edition.