{"slug": "show-hn-ai-meter-local-token-usage-with-energy-and-water-estimates", "title": "Show HN: AI Meter – Local token usage with energy and water estimates", "summary": "A developer created AI Meter, a local token usage tracker that estimates energy and water impact from AI coding-tool logs, after discovering their personal AI usage consumed nearly 1 MWh in the past three months. The tool, available at ai-meter.app, works offline without login or tracking, using formulas calibrated from Oviedo et al.'s production-scale inference model and LBNL's U.S. data-center water usage effectiveness scenario.", "body_md": "[Problem] I wanted to track how many tokens I am burning and it's estimated energy and water impact.\n\n[WHAT THIS IS] A local token usage tracker that works across different coding harnesses and estimates energy and water impact\n\n[MY EXPERIENCE] Tracking this really put things into perspective. My personal usage is close to 1 MWh in the past three months which I had no idea about. This does not include my AI usage at work which is probably 10x.\n\n[DEMO]\nIf you are interested in tracking these numbers locally, try out: [https://ai-meter.app](https://ai-meter.app)\n\n- It reads historical data if the files are present. Works completely locally (except to check if there is an update for the widget) - No login. No analytics. No tracking.\n\n----\n\n[On estimates]\n\nAI Meter measures tokens from local AI coding-tool logs, then estimates:\n\nElectricity: tokens ÷ 1M × 0.39 kWh, calibrated from Oviedo et al.’s production-scale inference model.\n\nDirect cooling water: electricity ÷ 1.20 PUE × 0.45 L/IT-kWh, using LBNL’s U.S. data-center WUE scenario.\n\nThese are adjustable estimates, not provider measurements. They exclude training, hardware manufacturing, electricity-generation water, and local-device energy.\n\n----\n\nHope you find this interesting! Please feel free to give feedback, would love to make this better!\n\nComments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49043860](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49043860)\n\nPoints: 1\n\n# Comments: 0", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-ai-meter-local-token-usage-with-energy-and-water-estimates", "canonical_source": "https://ai-meter.app", "published_at": "2026-07-25 02:11:52+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-25 02:22:09.856414+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-tools", "ai-infrastructure", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["AI Meter", "Oviedo", "LBNL"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-ai-meter-local-token-usage-with-energy-and-water-estimates", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-ai-meter-local-token-usage-with-energy-and-water-estimates.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-ai-meter-local-token-usage-with-energy-and-water-estimates.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-ai-meter-local-token-usage-with-energy-and-water-estimates.jsonld"}}