Overview
Previous energy estimates for AI have focused on simple ChatGPT-style queries, but coding agents like Claude Code consume dramatically more energy through thousands of tokens and tool calls per task.
The Breakdown
- Token consumption scales massively - coding agents use thousands of tokens and multiple tool calls compared to simple chat queries
- Heavy usage translates to $15-20 daily API costs - equivalent to 4,400 typical LLM queries for one power user
- Energy footprint reaches household appliance levels - daily usage equals running a dishwasher or powering a refrigerator
- Previous energy estimates are outdated - studies focused on consumer ChatGPT usage miss the reality of agent workflows