AI coding agents like Claude Code consume significantly more electricity than typical chatbot queries. Analysis of real usage data shows a median Claude Code session uses ~41 Wh (138x a typical query), with daily usage reaching ~1,300 Wh—comparable to running an extra dishwasher cycle or refrigerator. The calculation derives
•15m read time• From simonpcouch.com
Table of contents
Coding agents and the ‘median query’Estimating electricity per tokenMy Claude Code dataIn contextAppendix: Cost gut-checkAppendix: Infrastructure-side gut-checkFootnotesReuse1 Comment
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