ChatGPT query uses 0.3Wh, but heavy agent users consume as much as a tumble dryer
didyousayboop · reddit · 2026-08-01
Data scientist Hannah Ritchie analyzed the electricity consumption of AI queries like ChatGPT. She found a typical text query uses about 0.3 watt-hours, equivalent to 10 seconds of microwaving or a few seconds of showering for 10 queries. Even 100 queries a day amount to 30Wh, roughly the average American's electricity use in just over a minute.
However, heavy users of AI agents consume significantly more: assuming 4 agentic queries per hour for 6 hours a day, each using 100Wh, that's 2.4kWh per day, equivalent to running a tumble dryer once or driving an electric car 8 miles.
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