I will probably get downvoted for this (unless, as I expect, the vast majority are in the same boat), but my answer is: nothing. I don't mean this to discredit people who actually run home servers, just sharing my own experience.
I have a "prosumer" grade £120 ASUS gigabit router, which has a perfectly adequate settings UI, firewall, port forwarding, and supports NAS via a USB HDD, or 4G failover if I ever happen to need it. No need to overpay for fancy business/enterprise grade networking equipment - plug it in, and it works.
Photos/videos are stored in Google Photos for £1.99/mo - I'd happily pay more if I exceed the 200gb limit I currently have iirc, but most of this is junk I won't ever access again that got backed up from my phone, eg screenshots that I took to send in Messenger/WhatsApp and forgot to delete afterwards.
Pretty much anything else that I do with a computer only has to be done when the computer is turned on. Having a separate server running drawing 100-200w at all times (even when we're in the office or sleeping, which is >2/3rds of the day) considering current energy prices, seems like a massive waste of money. 100w 24/7 for a year costs £300 at the current energy price cap (which most tariffs are currently at or around). I can't remember the last time me and my partner needed simultaneous access to the same files via the network, or I needed instantaneous access to a file on my MacBook or Android phone that is on my Windows/Fedora desktop, so another reason I don't see any need a NAS or server.
Wrt movies (Plex/DLNA/Kodi) there's very few films I like enough to want to watch again, that aren't included in Netflix, Amazon, or Disney's library. Hence there are very few that I own physical disc copies of, and I can just play the disc on the PS5, or my PC's bluray writer, or the upstairs TV, so no need to back these up onto a HDD or stream around the house. Any content that is already on my PC just requires me to switch it on (via either Wake on LAN, walking 10m upstairs and pressing a button, or bluetooth switchbot) temporarily to stream to my TV via a DLNA server. No need to leave anything running permanently.
Really the only way I can see home servers making sense, is if running the server itself is your hobby. The added convenience is almost zero, and for me wouldn't be worth it considering the £300/yr electricity cost and £300-£1000 initial outlay I can imagine for decent hardware and a few TB of drives if you don't have an old PC lying around. Plus all the time spent configuring, monitoring, and maintaining - most on this site do enough of that at work already, and I have enough hobbies as it is ;D
It isn't just for cost savings, but it is also for privacy, convenience, and sanity. For example:
Do I really trust Google/Apple with all of my photos?
Do I really trust lastpass/onepass/... with all my passwords?
Do I really trust Amazon/Google to monitor my home cameras to give me notifications?
Do I lose my mind every time feedly changes their interface or nags at me for upsells?
Do I get frustrated when my favorite shows (Star Trek/Psych) suddenly leaves Hulu or Prime?
Also, I don't know how anyone survives using the internet without pihole (or similar dns blocking), especially on an iphone!
For me, knowing my data is in my control, not having software constantly change or nag me, and always being able to access what I want is incredibly important to me (and my SO).
I spend minimal time administering my server. Usually I spend about 2-3 hours a quarter to update all my docker images, but other than that, it all runs quite flawlessly.
> The added convenience is almost zero, and for me wouldn't be worth it considering the £300/yr electricity cost and £300-£1000 initial outlay I can imagine for decent hardware and a few TB of drives if you don't have an old PC lying around. Plus all the time spent configuring
My Two Raspberry Pi Zero W's cost $10 in total - which is less than what you pay Google annually. Adding 500GB SSDs & electricity costs (cents per kWh) has my amortized costs less than your annual 200GB Google bill. Your mental image of "home server" is rather pricey
Why are you assuming 100-200W power draw? That seems way too high when an old laptop would only use like 15W. My ARM server sips power and runs everything I throw at it.
I have a "prosumer" grade £120 ASUS gigabit router, which has a perfectly adequate settings UI, firewall, port forwarding, and supports NAS via a USB HDD, or 4G failover if I ever happen to need it. No need to overpay for fancy business/enterprise grade networking equipment - plug it in, and it works.
Photos/videos are stored in Google Photos for £1.99/mo - I'd happily pay more if I exceed the 200gb limit I currently have iirc, but most of this is junk I won't ever access again that got backed up from my phone, eg screenshots that I took to send in Messenger/WhatsApp and forgot to delete afterwards.
Pretty much anything else that I do with a computer only has to be done when the computer is turned on. Having a separate server running drawing 100-200w at all times (even when we're in the office or sleeping, which is >2/3rds of the day) considering current energy prices, seems like a massive waste of money. 100w 24/7 for a year costs £300 at the current energy price cap (which most tariffs are currently at or around). I can't remember the last time me and my partner needed simultaneous access to the same files via the network, or I needed instantaneous access to a file on my MacBook or Android phone that is on my Windows/Fedora desktop, so another reason I don't see any need a NAS or server.
Wrt movies (Plex/DLNA/Kodi) there's very few films I like enough to want to watch again, that aren't included in Netflix, Amazon, or Disney's library. Hence there are very few that I own physical disc copies of, and I can just play the disc on the PS5, or my PC's bluray writer, or the upstairs TV, so no need to back these up onto a HDD or stream around the house. Any content that is already on my PC just requires me to switch it on (via either Wake on LAN, walking 10m upstairs and pressing a button, or bluetooth switchbot) temporarily to stream to my TV via a DLNA server. No need to leave anything running permanently.
Really the only way I can see home servers making sense, is if running the server itself is your hobby. The added convenience is almost zero, and for me wouldn't be worth it considering the £300/yr electricity cost and £300-£1000 initial outlay I can imagine for decent hardware and a few TB of drives if you don't have an old PC lying around. Plus all the time spent configuring, monitoring, and maintaining - most on this site do enough of that at work already, and I have enough hobbies as it is ;D