Gaming & Entertainment Hardware worked example

Burn-In Load with burn-in connected load of 9 kW: a worked example

This worked example runs the burn-in load numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: burn-in connected load of 9 kW instead of the typical 18 kW. Estimate energy cost for burn-in racks, thermal soak, battery cycling, power-on aging, display soak, LED aging, and system stress testing.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Burn-in connected load: 9 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 18)
  • Burn-in runtime per cycle: 24 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Blended electricity rate: 0.14 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • Units completed through burn-in: 480 units (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total burn-in energy cost = burn-in connected load × burn-in runtime × blended electricity rate.
  • Burn-in energy used works out to 216 kWh at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Total burn-in energy cost works out to 30.24 $ at these inputs.
  • Burn-in energy cost per unit works out to 0.06 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Hourly burn-in energy cost works out to 1.26 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where burn-in connected load sits at 18 kW and the headline result is 432 kWh, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 216 kWh.
  • Use it when sizing a burn-in chamber, costing a new product's test plan, or justifying a shorter or parallelized burn-in profile. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Burn-in energy used: 216 kWh (headline result)
  • Total burn-in energy cost: 30.24 $
  • Burn-in energy cost per unit: 0.06 $ / piece
  • Hourly burn-in energy cost: 1.26 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Burn-In Load calculator, set burn-in connected load to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.